At least fifteen people drowned in northern Nigeria after their overloaded boat capsized while fleeing gang violence in Zamfara state. Officials and local residents said the victims were mostly women and children escaping a bandit raid on three villages in the Gummi region.
Criminal gangs have terrorised northwestern Nigeria, stealing cattle, torching villages and abducting civilians for ransom, forcing terrified families into desperate flight.Muhammadu Chigari, head of Nasarawar Kirfi village, confirmed the deaths and said he personally attended the funerals of several victims on Sunday.
He said the dead included eight women, three children and four men, while three passengers survived after being pulled from the river. Suleiman Dangaladima, another local dignitary, identified the affected villages as Damaga, Tungar Maigunya and Nasarawar Kirfi, each targeted in Friday’s violent raid.
Aliyu Shehu, director of Nigeria’s emergency agency, confirmed the tragedy and said rescue teams were preparing to reach the site and assist survivors. Boat accidents are common across Nigeria, especially during the rainy season, when unsafe and overcrowded vessels risk capsizing on swollen rivers.
For these families, the river promised escape but instead delivered grief, underscoring the deadly intersection of violence, displacement and fragile infrastructure. The waters carried away hopes for safety, leaving behind a trail of mourning villages and deepened despair across the troubled region.
