A tragic boat accident has reportedly claimed the lives of many people in Zalla Bango, a remote village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, as residents attempted to flee from renewed bandits’ attacks in the region.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, most of the victims were women who were trying to cross water in a desperate bid to escape an anticipated assault by armed bandits.
“Many residents have resorted to fleeing their communities, crossing over the water to areas perceived as safer and less accessible to the bandits,” a local source told Weekend Trust on the condition of anonymity.
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The mishap occurred on Thursday evening shortly after the Maghrib prayer when the boat conveying the passengers struck the edge of a collapsed culvert along Goronyo Sabon Birni road, causing it to crack and sink.
“This is not the first time we are witnessing such a tragedy in this area this year,” another resident said, adding that similar incidents have been recorded in recent months due to increasing insecurity.
While the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed, conflicting reports suggest that between six and 12 people may have lost their lives.
The chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government, Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu confirmed the incident but said the authorities were still working to verify the number of victims involved.
“As at this morning, only one body – that of a woman – has been recovered from the water,” he said.
Hashimu, who visited the scene of the accident, said it happened as residents were frantically trying to cross the river to avoid another wave of banditry attacks.
“The boat hit the edge of a collapsed culvert, which led to its breaking and eventual sinking. We are doing everything we can to rescue survivors and retrieve the bodies of the deceased,” he said.
The local government chairman also disclosed that motorised boats and life jackets recently procured by the Sokoto State Government had been distributed to some flood-prone local councils, including Sabon Birni, just a day before the incident.
In a similar occurrence last month, six people reportedly drowned in a boat accident in Garin Faji, another community in the same local government area, while trying to escape a terrorist attack.
Weekend Trust also received reports of a banditry attack on Kwanar Kimba, another village in Sabon Birni, where six people were killed.
The member representing the area in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Sa’idu Ibrahim, confirmed the attack, which he said occurred last Tuesday.
“Residents of the village tried to resist the attack, which led to a confrontation with the armed men. Unfortunately, six people were killed before the attackers fled.
“I just returned from the village, where I went to sympathise with the grieving families,” the lawmaker said.
