3 teenagers drown in River Kaduna

Three boys drowned in the River Kaduna where they went to take a bath Monday. They were among 10 teenagers from Abakpa area in Kaduna North who set out to the river along Hayin Danbushiya.

Our reporter gathered that children from different parts of the state, particularly Kaduna North, usually go the river to bath and attempts to stop them had always failed.

“Some children came to bath here on Monday and three of them got drowned. Initially we didn’t know about the incident until the parents came looking for them yesterday morning. When the Sarkin Ruwa came, he went to the part of the river where the children had their bath and started the search. They were able to remove two corpses but it took a long time before the third was found,” Abdulhadi Maiyashi, a witness, said.

He advised parents to always caution their wards against going to bath in the river because of its depth. “Some parents get angry when we chase their wards away from the river or beat them. Parents need to know where their wards are at every point in time because some children follow their friends to the river without their parents’ knowledge”, he said.

“The child whose body was first removed may be around 14 years, the second one, 17 while the third is about 13 years,” he said.

In a chat with Magaji Sarkin Ruwa, he said the three corpses were removed from the river and handed over to their parents for burial according to Islamic rites. He advised parents to cooperate with fishermen and sand sellers by the river to ensure that children don’t go to the river.