Hauwa Ali
On the morning of August 17, 2025, what was supposed to be a routine journey to the bustling Goronyo food market in Sokoto State turned into a nightmare. A wooden boat carrying more than 50 passengers capsized midstream. By nightfall, at least 10 bodies were recovered, while more than 40 others remained missing, swallowed by the turbulent waters.
And on Friday, August 29, 2025, the National Inland Waterways Authority confirmed another fatal boat mishap for the third time within the same month, this time at the Jaranja River in the Shagari Local Government Area also in Sokoto State.
For survivors and families, the grief is indescribable. “I lost my sister and her two children,” said Malam Sani Umar, a farmer who waited anxiously by the riverbank as divers searched in vain. “They were only going to sell tomatoes. Now the water has taken them.”
The Sokoto tragedies have sparked renewed outrage, not only for its immediate human cost but also because it follows a disturbing pattern of boat disasters across Nigeria’s inland waterways.
Barely a year earlier, in October 2024, a wooden vessel overloaded with nearly 300 passengers capsized on the River Niger near Mokwa, Niger State. At least 60 people died, and more than 160 were rescued by local divers.
Further back in May 2021, Kebbi State was plunged into mourning when a similarly overcrowded vessel carrying about 200 people sank near Warrah. More than 90 bodies were recovered in the days that followed.
These are not isolated tragedies. A Premium Times investigation in 2024 found that between 2019 and 2023, 71 fatal boat accidents were recorded along the River Niger and its tributaries, claiming at least 1,072 lives, an average of 200 deaths each year.
The human toll is staggering. “It is not just statistics,” said Zainab Abubakar, a widow from Kebbi who lost her husband in the 2021 accident. “Every number is a father, a mother, a child. But we are treated like our lives do not matter.”
Why the Boats Keep Sinking?
Experts point to systemic negligence rather than fate. According to the Marine Crafts Builders Association of Nigeria, between January 2020 and October 2022, there were 53 reported boat accidents killing 701 people. In the first ten months of 2023 alone, another 483 people died in 45 separate mishaps.
What drives these disasters?
Overloading: Many wooden boats are crammed far beyond capacity in a bid to maximize fares. Survivors of the Sokoto incident told local journalists the boat carried not only people but also sacks of grain, goats, and motorcycles.
Poor Enforcement: Regulations exist, but implementation is weak. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has repeatedly announced safety guidelines, but local operators often ignore them with little consequence.
Lack of Safety Equipment: Few vessels carry lifejackets or emergency kits. “In all the accidents I’ve reported, hardly anyone was wearing a lifejacket,” said Ibrahim Adeyemi, an investigative journalist who has covered riverine communities for years.
Climate Factor: The rainy season swells rivers, making currents unpredictable. Without weather advisories, local skippers venture out blind.
“Boat disasters are not acts of God; they are failures of policy and enforcement,” argues Dr. Adetunji Ogunsola, a maritime safety consultant. “If these same deaths occurred in aviation, the whole country would shut down until reforms were made. Why do we accept them on our rivers?”
For riverine communities, boats are not just transport—they are lifelines. In Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and other northern states, markets, schools, and hospitals are often across the river.
“Every Thursday, I take my yams to Goronyo market by boat,” said Aisha Bello, a trader who narrowly missed boarding the ill-fated Sokoto vessel. “If I don’t cross, my children won’t eat. We don’t have roads here. We only have water.”
This dependence makes safety reforms even more urgent. Yet, investment in inland water infrastructure remains minimal compared to road and air transport.
In the aftermath of the Sokoto disaster, Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State promised an inquiry, urging boat operators to “adhere to safety rules to avoid further loss of lives.” But such promises are familiar. After the 2024 Mokwa tragedy, the Niger State Government made similar vows. Few reports have been made public, and fewer reforms have been enforced.
NIWA has often blamed “reckless operators,” while state governments cite resource constraints. But critics argue that the problem lies in institutional neglect.
“The government must stop shifting blame,” says Musa Yusuf, head of the NGO, Safe Waterways Initiative. “There is no reason why Nigeria cannot enforce passenger limits, mandate lifejackets, and prosecute negligent operators. Until that happens, these disasters will continue.”
Beyond the human toll, the recurring boat mishaps also carry an economic cost. Farmers lose produce meant for markets, traders lose income, and riverine commerce suffers disruptions.
According to a 2023 NIWA report, Nigeria’s inland waterways have the potential to move 100 million tonnes of cargo annually, reducing pressure on road transport. But persistent safety failures discourage investment.
“Who will insure a cargo of rice or fertilizer on a boat when every month you hear of people drowning?” asked Alhaji Bala Dankwabo, a logistics operator in Niger State. “It is killing not just people but also business.”
Could This Pattern Be Prevented?
Maritime experts agree that solutions are available and affordable. Solutions like:
Mandatory Lifejackets: A government-subsidized program could make life vests affordable for operators and passengers alike.
Enforcement of Passenger Limits: Community policing with NIWA support could ensure boats are not overloaded.
Training for Boat Operators: Many skippers learn informally; structured training and licensing could reduce accidents.
Infrastructure Investment: Building jetties, providing better boats, and creating weather alert systems could save lives.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has previously offered support for inland water transport modernization. Yet Nigeria has not fully tapped such funding opportunities.
“We Deserve to Live”
As families in Sokoto bury their dead, frustration simmers. At Goronyo market, black clothes were tied to stalls in mourning. Traders prayed for their colleagues lost to the water.
“We are tired of condolences,” said Maryam Garba, whose cousin is still missing. “What we need is action. We deserve to live, not to die every season in the river.”
Her words echo across riverine Nigeria: a call not for sympathy but for accountability. Until that comes, every journey to the market, to school, to the clinic, will carry a shadow of fear—fear that another boat, another family, another community will be swallowed by water that could have been made safe.