The worst news from Sokoto. A boat went down. Over 40 people? Missing.

By: Olalekan Abudu

It happened fast. While the boat was moving—bumping through the swollen waters of the usual Sokoto River. The next? Gone. Swallowed by the current.

Rescue teams are out there now. NEMA’s on the ground. They said they got word around noon—something about a crowded boat headed to Goronyo Market. Over fifty people crammed in. Too many. Always too many.

More than forty souls are still missing. That’s not just a number. That’s families waiting. Children calling out. Husbands and wives staring at the river like it might spit back what it took.

They pulled ten out. Alive. Shaking. Some crying. Others just silent. Like their minds hadn’t caught up yet.

But the rest? Vanished.

Overloading. Again. It’s always overloading. You see it every year—especially when the rains come hard. Rivers turn into monsters. And boats? They’re not built for this. Wooden things, patched with hope and rope. Still floating. For now.

This isn’t new. Not really.

Back in August, sixteen farmers drowned—just trying to get to their rice fields. Same story. Same river. Same mistake.

Then Niger State. Thirteen dead. Dozens more lost. Just days later, six girls—six—drowned in Jigawa. On their way home from work. Midstream. No warning.

We keep saying “NEVER again.” But it does. Every time.

So why do we keep letting them board? Why do we let fear be louder than safety?

The water’s rising. And so are the bodies.

Someone’s gotta listen. Before the next wave takes another family.