Six teenagers drowned in the Mbang River on Tuesday in Ribang village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State. They were returning home after taking their Junior WAEC exams at about 5:30 p.m.
The victims, students of Government Secondary School Fadan Chawai, have been identified as Manasseh Monday (16), Musa John (16), Pius David (15), Monday Ayuba (16), David Danlami (19), and Yahuza Audu (16).
Pastor Simon Ishaku, the National Public Relations Officer of the Ribang Development Association, confirmed the incident via telephone on Wednesday. He disclosed that three of the bodies have been recovered and buried, while three are still missing.
“The school children left their homes full of hope and excitement while their parents went to the farm with the hope of reuniting with them after writing their papers of the day, only to meet their untimely death,” Pastor Ishaku said.
He further explained the ongoing challenges the community faces due to the river, which has been dangerous for years. “The Mbang River has been a death trap for our people over the years. Before the community can access any school or hospital facility, they have to travel about 8 kilometers,” he added.
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Pastor Ishaku called on the government for urgent assistance. “We’re calling on the Federal Government, Governor Uba Sani, Senator Sunday Katung, and our House of Representatives members to kindly assist us with a school, hospital, access road, and bridge to bring relief to our community,” he appealed.
The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, did not respond to calls and text messages from our correspondent as of the time of this report.
When contacted, Mubarak Muhammad, the Zonal Coordinator of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency Zone One, said he would confirm the incident but had not done so by the time of publication.
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