About 20 people are said to have drowned in Niger State’s Guni-Zumba River while fleeing bandit attacks.
On Wednesday morning, the victims, who included women and children from Guni in Munyan Local Government Area, were said to have died.
According to Shehu Abubakar, a resident of the community, the incident occurred when bandits simultaneously invaded the two communities, forcing the residents to flee.
The victims were said to be on their way to the other side of the river in a boat when it capsized.
Abubakar said the boat was loaded beyond capacity, forcing it to capsize.
He said, “Bandits invaded our communities this (Wednesday) morning, and in an attempt to flee, some people drowned in Guni-Zumba River.
“Due to overloading, the boat capsized in the middle of the water. “For now, we don’t know the number of casualties because we have not been able to rescue anybody.
“But I can tell you that over 20 people, including women and children, were involved.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abubakar Hussaini, did not respond to calls and a message sent to him.