Six teenagers drowned in the Mbang River on Tuesday in Ribang (Mbang) village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, while returning from a Junior WAEC exam around 5:30 p.m.
The victims, identified as Manasseh Monday (16), Musa John (16), Pius David (15), Monday Ayuba (16), David Danlami (19), and Yahuza Audu (16), were students of Government Secondary School Fadan Chawai taking the West African Junior School Examination.
Pastor Simon Ishaku, the National Public Relations Officer of Ribang Development Association, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Online via telephone on Wednesday. He stated that three bodies have been recovered and buried, while three remain missing as locals have been unable to retrieve them from the river.
The children left their homes hopeful and excited for the day, while their parents went to work on their farms, expecting to reunite with them after their exams. Tragically, they met an untimely death.
The Mbang River has long been a dangerous hazard for the community, which must travel about 8 kilometers to reach the nearest school or hospital.
Simon urged the Federal Government, Governor Uba Sani, Senator Sunday Katung, and House of Representative members to urgently provide a school, hospital, access road, and bridge to alleviate the community’s hardships.
The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, did not respond to calls and text messages from our correspondent at the time of filing this report.
When reached, the Zonal Coordinator of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency Zone One, Mubarak Muhammad, said he would confirm the incident and get back to our correspondent. He had not done so by the time of publication.
