No fewer than 150 suspected b@ndits are feared to have drowned after a boat conveying them capsized in the Sabon Gida area of Sokoto State.

According to reports by Zagazola Makama, the incident occurred on Saturday evening while the group was attempting to cross a water body in large numbers. The vessel, said to be overloaded with armed men, suddenly overturned, throwing all occupants into the water.

Sources revealed that many of the passengers were unable to swim, which contributed to the high number of casualties as they struggled to stay afloat. It was gathered that the situation quickly turned fatal, with little or no chance of immediate rescue.

Preliminary information suggests that none of the occupants survived the incident, although there has been no official confirmation from security agencies as at the time of filing this report.