Nigeria: No Boat Mishap Involving Bandits - Sokoto Residents, Police

Residents of Sabon Gida in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State have dismissed reports of a boat mishap allegedly resulting in the deaths of several bandits, describing the claim as false and unfounded.

Locals who spoke with our correspondent denied that any such incident occurred in the area, noting the absence of a water body capable of causing a drowning accident.

"We lack sufficient water where people could drown. Our stream has dried up. We don't know how the report originated, but there is no such accident in Sabon Gida," a resident said on condition of anonymity.

The Sokoto State Police Command has also refuted the report.

The command's spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa'i, described the claim as a "blatant lie," stressing that no such incident was recorded anywhere in the state.

"We only have one location known as Sabon Gida, a village in Gada Local Government Area. Our findings confirmed there is no significant water body there, let alone a situation where passengers could drown.

"The divisional police officer in charge has also verified that no such incident occurred in Gada Local Government Area," he said.

Further findings by our correspondent in Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas yielded similar responses, with residents denying any knowledge of a boat mishap.

A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly representing Sabon Birni, Aminu Boza, said no community named Sabon Gida exists within his constituency.

He also confirmed that no such incident had been reported in the area.

Corroborating this position, a resident of Isa, Malam Kabiru, said neither a boat mishap nor the existence of a place called Sabon Gida is known to people in the area.

Also, the spokesperson of Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Abdullahi Ghani, said the agency has no record of any boat mishap allegedly involving bandits in the state.

Security analyst in Sokoto State, Bashar Altine Guyawa, also debunked the report, saying similar claims have circulated for years without evidence.

Guyawa added that the terrain in the area lacks rivers deep enough for such accidents, noting that bandits in the region operate on land and avoid water routes.

Read the original article on Daily Trust.