Abuja floods sweep away a 13-year-old student on his way to school

Daud Olatunji

A 13-year-old student of Ihyau El-Burhan Academy, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhassan Jamil, was swept away by a flood while walking to school with his father.

The accident occurred on Wednesday in a flooded canal around a double-cell culvert as the boy’s father, Jamil Maikasuwa, attempted to cross the waterway on a motorcycle.

Maikasuwa, who is the special assistant to the chairman of the Gwagwalada Area Council on Home Affairs, said he was taking his son from their residence in Old Kutunku to school when he noticed that the flood water was moving rapidly.

He said he applied the motorcycle’s brakes after becoming concerned about the strength of the current, but the boy got scared and jumped off the motorcycle.

According to the father, he immediately abandoned the motorcycle and tried to save his son, but the force of the flood swept away the teenager before he could carry him to safety.

Maikasuwa said the boy had yet to be recovered on Wednesday, although residents living near the riverbank reportedly said they saw what appeared to be his body floating in the water.

He added that the student was said to still have his school bag strapped to his back when he was reportedly seen in the water.

Following the accident, fishermen and divers mobilized to search for the missing teenager in the waterways.

At the time of filing this complaint, the searches were still underway, while the family awaited confirmation of the boy’s whereabouts.

The incident has again raised concerns about the dangers posed by flooded roads, culverts and waterways to residents during periods of heavy rain, particularly children on their way to school.

PLATFORM TIMES reported that the incident came amid ongoing safety concerns for residents navigating flood-prone areas in the Federal Capital Territory during the rainy season.

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