Follow Us on Google
Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Six young girls died in a canoe mishap in Tindifai village of Dakingari district, Suru Local Government Areas of Kebbi State.
Daily Sun gathered that the victims were on their way to a farm to harvest paddy rice and their canoe capsized midway while crossing a river in the area.
The Chief Press Secretary to Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Mu’azu Dakingari, who confirmed the incident in a statement yesterday, noted that five bodies of the victims have been retrieved from the river while efforts were still ongoing to recover the remaining victims.
According to him, “the girls who drowned were Hadiza Garba,15, Lauratu Muhammad, 13, Adama Musa,15, Firdausi Garba,13, Maryam Abdullahi AbdulRahnan, 13, and 10 -year-old Suwaiba Abdullahi AbdulRahama.
“Their funeral prayers was attended by Chairman Suru Local Government Area, Alhaji Umaru Maigandi Dakingeri, his council members, the district head of Dakingeri, Alhaji Jafaru Haliru, Lamido Dakingeri, Sarkin Yamman Barbarajo, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, the village head of Tindifai, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji Na-Alhaji, and the village head of Bardejo Tindifai, Atiku Haliru.”
The chairman of Suru Local Government Area, Alhaji Umaru Maigandi, who also confirmed the incident in an telephone interview yesterday with newsmen, explained that the canoe left Tindifai village conveying nine females to a Fadama in the area before it capsized.
“The village is close to Bendu in Tundifai. They were going to harvest rice in the Fadama when the incident happened and resulted to the death of six females. The deceased were between the ages of 12 to 15.
“Three victims were rescued alive by the paddler of the canoe, Umar Faruk,13,” he said.
Maigandi blamed the incident on overloading, explaining that the canoe was built to carry five passengers.
