Categories: CrimesNews

13 drown, 22 missing while fleeing from gunmen in Zamfara

No fewer than 13 people have been confirmed dead, while 22 others are missing in Zamfara State after the boat they crowded aboard to escape an attack by gunmen sank in a river.

The gunmen were said to have stormed two communities in Birnin Magaji ward on Friday afternoon, sending locals fleeing toward a nearby riverbank that had a single boat.

“My eldest son and two other nieces were among the 13 people who died when the boat was heavily overloaded with people,” a health worker in Birnin Magaji, Shehu Mohammed, told Reuters on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

Police: How we rescued abducted Ondo health worker

The district head of Birnin Magaji, Maidamma Dankilo, said 13 people from the boat had been confirmed dead, 22 had been rescued, and 22 others were still missing.

Gunmen killed at least two people and abducted more than 100 last weekend in an attack some 150 km (95 miles) west of Birnin Magaji.

Zamfara State recorded 50 mass abductions between July 2024 and June 2025, involving 1,064 victims, according to a report this week by Lagos-based research firm SBM Intelligence.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Abdulsalami opens up on Abacha’s final hours

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has recounted the dramatic events surrounding the…

4 minutes ago

England training equipment stolen ahead of World Cup opener

England have suffered a setback ahead of their World Cup opener against Croatia after some…

1 hour ago

Malaysia-based boss directed fraud ring — Ogun suspect

Suspected members of a transnational fraud syndicate arrested by the Ogun State Police Command have…

1 hour ago

Veteran Nollywood actor Kola Oyewo dies at 80

Veteran Nollywood actor Kola Oyewo has been confirmed dead at the age of 80. Nollywood…

2 hours ago

NGX seeks stronger Nigeria-UAE capital market ties

The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) has called for stronger Nigeria-United Arab Emirates capital market cooperation.…

3 hours ago

NELFUND disburses N282bn to 1.5m students nationwide

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says no fewer than 1.5 million students across 288…

3 hours ago

This website uses cookies.