Three teenagers drown in Bauchi river

By Rauf Oyewole

Tragedy struck on Wednesday in Jinkiri Village, Tirwun, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis when three teenagers drown in a river after mining activities at a close location, according to authority.

Wednesday incident is second this year in Bauchi local government area, four workers of Gubi water treatment plant also drown inside the facility while carrying out routine maintenance in May, according to government. The incident took a father, his son and two other workers.

Police, while confirming the Wednesday’s tragedy through its Bauchi Spokesman, Ahmed Wakil, said that the three teenagers were identified as Habibu Mohammed aged 16 years, Abubakar Mohammed aged 16 years and Zailani Sule aged 14 years all boys and residents of Durum Village.

“The young teenagers unfortunately lost their lives after an accident while swimming in a nearby river,” he explained.

Wakil added that the incident took place at about 1:00pm, saying that all immediate efforts for medical assistance failed as the victims were pronounced dead before reaching the hospital. 

“Preliminary investigation indicated that the teenagers had been engaged in mining activities before deciding to swim in the river.

“In light of this heartbreaking situation, the Nigeria Police Force Bauchi State Command under the able leadership of the Commissioner of Police CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu expresses its deepest condolences to the families affected and underscores the critical need for heightened safety awareness during water activities, especially during inclement weather.”

He said that the Police has commenced investigation into the tragic circumstance and the bodies were released to the families for burial following an examination at the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi State.