About 20 people were said to have drowned in Guni-Zumba River while escaping attacks by bandits in Niger State.
The victims, including women and children from Guni in Munyan Local Government Area, were said to have lost their lives on Wednesday morning.
According to a resident of the community, Shehu Abubakar, the incident occurred when bandits simultaneously invaded the two communities, forcing the locals to flee.
The victims were said to be crossing to the other side of the river in a boat when the boat they were in 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.
