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The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has dismissed claims that about 150 bandits drowned in a boat mishap in Sokoto State, describing the report as false and misleading.
The clarification was given by the agency’s Sokoto Area Manager, Bello Bala, who said no such incident occurred in Sabon Gida, Sabon Birni Local Government Area, as widely circulated.
According to him, the river referenced in the report is not even navigable, raising further doubts about the credibility of the claim. He urged media organisations to verify sensitive security-related information before publication.
Meanwhile, Bala stressed that if such an incident had truly taken place, it would have been reported through local waterway structures, including community leaders and water users’ associations.
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He added that NIWA has continued to sensitise riverine communities on safety practices, including the use of life jackets and adherence to water transport regulations.
Similarly, a source within the Nigerian Army, specifically the 8 Division in Sokoto, also dismissed the report, confirming that troops stationed in the area recorded no such occurrence.
The source maintained that security presence across the axis remains active, noting that no case of a boat mishap involving bandits had been reported.
