Six drowned students: lawmaker visits families in Kaduna

The House of Representatives member from Kauru federal constituency, Mukhtar Chawai, has visited Ribang village to sympathise with the families of six students who drowned in the Mbang River last week.

The tragedy occurred while the students were returning from GSS Fadan Chawai, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they went to write their junior WAEC exams.

Mukhtar, who offered condolences to the Chief of Chawai, Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed, at Tarya Village en route to Ribang Village, lamented the dilapidated state of the nine-kilometre road and the lack of a bridge, school, and hospital.

At Ribang Village, he assured the community of his readiness to work with the federal and state governments to ensure that a bridge is constructed and other basic social amenities are provided to prevent future occurrences.

He said: “The governor has shown remorse over the sad incident, and I have told him to assist this community with anything that will bring succour. I am glad that he has responded by instructing his Special Adviser on Rural Infrastructure to visit and assess the community to see how the state can help. The governor’s aide promised to come next week. The world and the government share in your pain over the unfortunate incident that befell you.”

He expressed concern over the untimely deaths of the students, describing the situation as disheartening and painful because they were willing to go to school against all odds.

The village head, Timothy Nda, lamented that the community had not experienced any government projects since the return of democracy.

He said the only primary school was built through community effort and that the only borehole in the community stopped working 20 years ago.

He appealed to the government and their representatives to assist them with basic social amenities like roads, schools, and healthcare facilities to ease their livelihood.

The two surviving students, James Emmanuel and Shedrack Musa, who narrated their ordeal, disclosed that their drowned colleagues held onto small trees in the water for almost four hours before they finally gave up.