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| Sokoto Boat wahala wey don kpai 53 people Designed By Solomon Emmanuel |
SOKOTO — Sad news dey come out from Sokoto.
As for today, at least 53 people don die after boat wey dey full pass full capsize for water. Rescue team and villagers still dey inside water dey look for more people.
The thing happen on Thursday, August 20, 2026, near Gorau community for Goronyo Local Government Area.
WETIN REALLY HAPPEN
From wetin people talk, the boat carry farmers and labourers. Dem dey go farm and other work.
But the boat carry too many people. E pass the number wey e suppose carry.
Na for inside water the boat just turn. Just like that. One minute everybody dey talk, dey laugh. Next minute water don cover everywhere.
People wey dey nearby hear shout. Dem run go water side. Some jump inside to help. Others dey throw rope, dey call for help.
Na so the rescue start. But by the time help reach, many people don already go under.
TILL TODAY NOBODY KNOW EXACT NUMBER WEY ENTER THE BOAT
That na the painful part. Nobody fit say for sure how many people dey inside when the accident happen.
Some say 60. Some say 70. Some say even more.
Na why the death toll dey change every hour.
At first, people count 47 bodies. Dem carry dem come out from water, lay dem for ground. Families dey cry, dey shout their people names.
But as rescue team continue to dive, dem see more bodies.
As I dey write this, the number don reach 53.
And dem never finish. Dem still dey search. So the number fit still go up.
WETIN PEOPLE DEY SAY FOR GROUND
I talk with some people from Gorau community. Their voice dey shake.
One man tell me: "We don tell government say this boat dey carry too much people. But who dey listen? People dey hurry go farm. If you wait for next boat, your work go spoil."
Another woman dey cry. She say her brother dey inside. "He go farm to feed us. Now we no know where he dey."
You fit feel the pain. These people no die because dem want die. Dem die because dem dey try survive. Dem dey try feed family.
RESCUE STILL DEY GO ON SHA
Right now, local divers, NEMA officials, and villagers don join body.
Dem dey use small boats, sticks, even their bare hands dey search inside water.
Some families don dey wait for days for river bank. Dem dey pray. Dem dey look water like say their person go suddenly appear.
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Na so e dey be whenever boat accident happen for Nigeria. Hope and fear dey fight inside people heart.
SAFETY PALAVA WE DON HEAR TOO MANY TIMES
Make we talk true. This no be first time.
Every year we dey hear boat accident for Niger, for Kebbi, for Bayelsa, for Lagos, now Sokoto.
And almost every time na the same story:
1. Overloading - Boat go carry 80 people when e suppose carry 30
2. No life jacket - Many passengers no get any safety thing on their body
3. Bad boat - Some of these boats don old. Wood don dey rotten
4. No regulation - Nobody dey check if boat dey okay before e leave
5. Weather - Sometimes wind and rain just come suddenly
Experts don talk am tire. Government agencies don talk am tire.
"Make people wear life jacket. Make boat operators follow rules. Make government enforce am."
But for many river communities, e be like nobody dey hear.
WHY PEOPLE STILL TAKE RISK
You fit ask: "Why dem no just stop?"
Because for many places, water na the only road.
If you be farmer for Gorau, you no get tarred road to carry your produce go market. You no get bridge.
Your only option na boat.
If you miss boat today, your yam go spoil tomorrow. Your children go hungry.
So people take the risk. Dem enter overloaded boat because dem need to hustle.
E no make am right. But e explain am.
THE PAIN OF FAMILY WEY LOSE PERSON
Imagine you wake up Thursday morning. Your husband say "I dey go farm, I go come back evening."
Evening reach, he no come back.
You call. No answer.
Next day you hear say boat capsize.
You run go river side. You see bodies dey line up. You dey look one by one.
That kind pain no get name.
Some families don lose 2 people, 3 people. Whole family just scatter because of one trip.
Government go need to do more than just "condolence message." These families need real support. Money to bury. Money to feed. Counseling.
GOVERNMENT AND AGENCIES WEY SUPPOSE TALK
Till now, Sokoto State government and federal agencies don release statement. Dem dey send condolence.
But people dey ask: Wetin next?
Who go punish the boat operator wey overload?
Who go make sure every boat for Sokoto get life jacket?
Who go build better roads so people no go depend on dangerous boats?
If we no answer these questions, another 53 people go die next year. And we go write another article.
WETIN SAFETY EXPERTS DEY ADVISE
People wey sabi this water matter don talk times without number.
Dem say:
- Every passenger must wear life jacket, no excuse
- Boat operators must get license and dem must check boat every month
- Government must put people for jetty to count passengers
- Community leaders must talk to their people: "No enter overloaded boat"
- If weather bad, no travel
E simple. But e hard to do when poverty dey push people.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: WATER TRANSPORT FOR NIGERIA
For many states, water transport dey important like road.
But we no dey treat am like road.
We get FRSC for road. We get VIO. We get LASTMA.
But for water? Enforcement dey weak.
Until we treat water transport with same seriousness as road transport, these tragedies go continue.
WETIN GO HAPPEN NEXT
As at today, rescue still dey continue.
Authorities say dem go give full update once dem finish searching.
For now, families dey wait. Community dey mourn. And Nigeria dey ask again: How many more?
ZPOTHUB go continue to follow this story. We go bring you verified updates as dem come out.
WHAT WE FIT LEARN FROM THIS
This Sokoto tragedy dey teach us 3 things:
1. Life dey fragile. One wrong decision to overload boat fit wipe out whole community.
2. Government must act fast. Not just after tragedy. Before am.
3. As citizens, we too get role. If you see boat wey overload, talk. If boat man no get life jacket, no enter.
We no fit bring back the 53 people wey don die. But we fit make sure dem no die in vain.
FINAL WORD
To the families wey lose people: We dey sorry. We dey pray with you.
To government: Please do something. Not tomorrow. Now.
To all of us: Next time you wan enter boat, ask yourself "This boat safe?" If answer no be yes, wait for next one.
53 lives. 53 dreams. 53 people wey get family.
Make we no forget dem.
By Solomon Emmanuel |Pidgin News
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