Six teenagers tragically drowned in the Mbang River on Tuesday in Ribang, Mbang village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
According to The PUNCH, they were returning from a Junior WAEC exam at approximately 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 all students at Government Secondary School Fadan Chawai, participating in the West African Junior School Examination.
The National Public Relations Officer of Ribang Development Association, Pastor Simon Ishaku, confirmed the incident via telephone on Wednesday.
He disclosed 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 with the hope of reuniting with them after writing their papers of the day, only to meet their untimely death,” 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 Representative members as a matter of urgency, to kindly assist us with school, hospital, access road, and bridge in order to bring succour to our community,” he appealed.
Efforts to reach 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.
