A heart-wrenching tragedy struck Niger State on Tuesday afternoon as two children were swept away and killed by raging floodwaters following another intense downpour in Minna, the state capital.
The devastating incident occurred in the Tunga community, which was left paralysed after hours of relentless rainfall submerged roads, collapsed drainage systems, and brought all human activity to a halt.
According to reports gathered by Channels TV, one of the victims was a nine-year-old girl — the only daughter among three siblings — who had been sent by her mother to the Tunga Market, located approximately two kilometres from their home, to purchase soup ingredients. She was accompanied by her 11-year-old brother.
Despite initial signs of worsening weather, the children ventured out under a single umbrella during a brief lull in the storm. However, their journey turned fatal when the rain resumed with renewed ferocity, triggering flash floods and overwhelming decades-old drainage infrastructure built during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Eyewitnesses recounted the horrifying moment when the young girl slipped and fell into a deep drainage channel near their route home. Her helpless brother, unable to save her from the swift, forceful current, shouted for help. But onlookers, paralysed by fear and the sheer power of the floodwaters, were unable to intervene.
Frantic and grief-stricken, the boy ran back to their home to alert their parents. Hours later, the family received a call that a child’s body had been discovered in a drainage outlet along Mandela Road — more than five kilometres from where the incident occurred.
To their horror, when the father arrived at the scene, he was met with a double tragedy — not only was his daughter’s lifeless body found, but also the body of another young boy who is believed to have perished in the same deluge.
When contacted late Tuesday, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hussaini Ibrahim, expressed shock over the incident, admitting that the agency had not been informed earlier.
“The agency is not aware of the disaster, but my people will visit the home of the girl at Tunga tomorrow to meet with the parents,” he stated.
This latest catastrophe underscores the escalating threat of urban flooding in Niger State and exposes the vulnerability of residents — especially children — during the rainy season. Experts and community leaders have repeatedly warned about the consequences of inadequate drainage systems, poor waste disposal, and lack of public awareness on flood safety.
In May, the Mokwa area of the state witnessed one of the deadliest floods in recent memory, claiming about 200 lives and destroying countless homes. Yet, as this tragic event in Minna has shown, more must be done to prevent further loss of life.
Residents are now calling for urgent government intervention, stricter urban planning regulations, and comprehensive flood control measures to prevent such avoidable tragedies from recurring.
PIONEER NEWS 