A tragic incident has thrown the Yardoka community in Kaduna State into mourning, as a collapsed sand heap claimed the lives of 11 almajirai children, aged between four and nine, while they were allegedly engaged in brick-making to support a local building project.
The heartbreaking event occurred in the Damau District of the state, when the children, students of an informal Islamic school (madrassa), were excavating sand from a pit for making mud bricks. Without warning, the heap gave way, burying the young boys under tonnes of sand.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as harrowing. The children, locals said, had been helping their Islamic teacher in constructing a house — a common form of “contribution” in rural northern Nigeria’s religious learning settings. Their small hands were busy digging and collecting sand when the disaster struck, leaving no time for escape.
Desperate efforts by local residents and volunteers to rescue them from the rubble were met with heart-wrenching grief. Despite the community’s courageous intervention, only seven children were pulled out alive — but with various degrees of injury. They are currently receiving treatment at the Yardoka Primary Healthcare Centre.
The deceased have been identified as Muntari Abdulkadir, Aliyu Abba, Ali Umar, Mubarak Haruna, Usain Isa, Yusuf Shafiu, Mujitafa Jibril, Yusha’u Saidu, Aliyu Abdu, Hamisu Mohammed, and Ali Abdulmomini. These children hailed from Yardoka and nearby communities in the Damau District, leaving their families shattered and an entire community in anguish.
The injured survivors — Umar Dini, Jibir Surajo, Usman Abdulmomini, Sagir Hussaini, Naziru Abdullahi, Aminu Alkasim, and Kabiru Lawal — remain in critical condition, though stable, according to local health authorities.
Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, confirmed the tragedy: “Eleven of the children died and seven others were injured and now in hospital receiving treatment.”
The police, in collaboration with local volunteers, worked tirelessly to retrieve the victims’ bodies from the collapsed pit. The aftermath of the disaster has sparked outrage and grief across Kaduna and beyond, drawing attention to the dangers of child labour and the vulnerability of almajiri children.
Authorities have since launched an investigation to determine whether the children were coerced into manual labour — an act that, if confirmed, could constitute a violation of child protection laws. “We are investigating whether this constitutes child labour and who may be held accountable,” Hassan added.
The tragic loss has renewed calls for urgent reforms in the almajiri education system, greater oversight on child welfare in informal learning environments, and stronger enforcement of child protection policies.
As the community prepares for mass burials, the nation mourns yet another avoidable tragedy — one that underscores the intersection of poverty, neglect, and the overlooked plight of Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.
PIONEER NEWS 