By Gideon Njoku
It was hope dashed, future ruined and shattered for six students in Kaduna.
The teenagers had finished writing their examination in school, happy that they had put that behind them, and looking forward to joining their siblings and parents shortly. But that was not to be. They drowned on Tuesday, June 25, in the “fiesty” River Mbang, Ribang Village, Kaura Local Government Area, Kaduna.
The incident was said to have happened at about 5.30pm.
The victims were identified as:● Manasseh Monday, 16, ● Musa John, 16, ●Pius David, 15, ●Monday Ayuba, 16, ●David Dan Lamidi, 19, ● Yahuza Audu, 16. The drowned were students of Government Secondary School, Fadan, Chawai.
The circumstances surrounding their death, by drowning, are not public yet. It is not known whether they were swimming or in a canoe to cross the river, or wading through the river to cross to the other side, but Pastor Simon Ishaku, the National Publicity Relations Officer, Ribang Development Association, was quoted as saying that “the Mbang River has been a danger to our Community for years.”
He, also, lamented the absence of infrastructure in the Community like school, hospital, and said they have to travel about eight kilometers before accessing them. Meaning that if there was a school in the Community, the drowned teenagers would have had no use to cross the river.
He appealed to the Federal Government, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, their Senator, Sunday Katung, House of Representatives Members to assist the Community with the provision of access roads, bridges, schools and hospitals to give the community some relief.
He disclosed in tears that three bodies of the students have been retrieved and buried, while three were still not retrieved from the raging river.
