Six teenagers have drowned in the Mbang River on Tuesday in Ribang, Mbang village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
According to The PUNCH, the students were returning from a Junior WAEC exam around 5:30 p.m. when the incident occurred.
The victims, identified as Manasseh Monday (16), Musa John (16), Pius David (15), Monday Ayuba (16), David Danlami (19), and Yahuza Audu (16), were all students at Government Secondary School Fadan Chawai. They had been taking part in the West African Junior School Examination.
Pastor Simon Ishaku, the National Public Relations Officer of Ribang Development Association, confirmed the incident via telephone on Wednesday. He stated that three bodies have been recovered and buried amid tears, while three students remain missing, with locals unable to retrieve them from the river.
“The school children left their homes full of hope and excitement while their parents went to the farm, hoping to reunite with them after they finished their exams, only to meet their untimely deaths,” Ishaku explained.
The Mbang River has long been a perilous obstacle for the community. Ishaku emphasized the challenges faced by the residents, noting that accessing schools or medical facilities requires traveling about 8 kilometers.
“We’re calling on the Federal Government, Governor Uba Sani, Senator Sunday Katung, and our House of Representatives members to urgently assist us with a school, hospital, access road, and bridge to bring relief to our community,” he appealed.
Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, for comments were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him. Similarly, the Zonal Coordinator of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency Zone One, Mubarak Muhammad, indicated he would confirm the incident but had not done so by the time of publication.
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