At least 13 people lost their lives and more than 20 others remain missing after a boat carrying villagers escaping a bandit attack capsized in a river in Zamfara State.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the tragedy occurred on Friday in Birnin Magaji ward after armed men invaded several communities, forcing residents to flee in panic.
According to an international news agency, Reuters, many villagers rushed to the riverbank and boarded an overcrowded boat in a desperate attempt to escape.
“My eldest son and two nieces were among the 13 people who died. People were panicking and rushed onto the boat. It simply couldn’t hold everyone,” Shehu Mohammed, a health worker in Birnin Magaji, told Reuters.
Confirming the development, the district head of Birnin Magaji, Maidamma Dankilo, said 13 bodies had been recovered while 22 others were rescued.
He added that 22 passengers were still missing.
Zamfara has remained one of the hardest-hit states in the wave of violence across the North-West.
Armed groups have repeatedly targeted rural communities, leaving behind killings, abductions, and mass displacements.
Last weekend, gunmen killed at least two people and kidnapped more than 100 others in a separate attack, about 150 kilometres west of Birnin Magaji.
Figures by Lagos-based research firm, SBM Intelligence, show that Zamfara recorded no fewer than 50 mass abductions between July 2024 and June 2025, affecting over 1,000 people.
Authorities are yet to release an official update on ongoing rescue efforts for the missing passengers.
