A 13-year-old Junior Secondary School (JSS) student of Ihyau El-Burhan Academy in Phase 3, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhassan Jamil, has died after being swept away by flood.
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The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, September 9, as the teenager was reportedly on his way to school with his father, Jamil Maikasuwa.
Narrating the incident, Maikasuwa told Daily Trust that he had picked up his son on his motorcycle and was taking him to school when they reached a double-cell culvert.
He said the floodwater was moving at high speed, prompting him to apply the brakes. However, his son, who was sitting behind him, reportedly jumped from the motorcycle out of fear and fell into the flood.
Maikasuwa said he immediately pushed the motorcycle aside and attempted to save his son, but the strong current swept the teenager away.
He said:
“Upon discovering that the flood water was coming on high speed, I applied brake but my son, out of fear, jumped from the bike and suddenly fell into the flood water. And immediately when I discovered he jumped down from the bike, I quickly pushed the bike aside and tried to grab his hand in order to save him but unfortunately, the flood water swept him away,”
Maikasuwa, who serves as the Special Assistant to the Chairman of the council on Domestic Affairs, said his son’s body had not been recovered at the time of the report.
He disclosed that fishermen and divers had been mobilised to search for the teenager.
According to him, some residents living close to the riverbank claimed they had seen what appeared to be the boy’s body floating in the water with his school bag still strapped to his back.
He said:
“Actually, my son’s corpse is yet to be recovered, even though some residents whose houses are close to the river bank said they discovered the corpse with his school bag strapped to his back floating. We hope that the corpse will be recovered so we can give him a befitting burial,”