No fewer than 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.
Chronicle NG 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 reports, 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 the press.
Confirming the incident, the district head of Birnin Magaji, Maidamma Dankilo, said 13 bodies had been recovered while 22 others were rescued.
He also stated that 22 passengers were still missing.
Zamfara has remained one of the most severely affected states in the North-West conflict.
Armed organisations regularly target rural populations, resulting in deaths, abductions, and huge displacements.
Last weekend, gunmen killed at least two people and kidnapped over 100 others in a separate attack some 150 miles west of Birnin Magaji.
According to figures from Lagos-based research firm SBM Intelligence, Zamfara witnessed no fewer than 50 mass abductions between July 2024 and June 2025, affecting over 1000 persons.
Authorities have yet to provide an official update on the continuing rescue efforts for the missing passengers.
