Eight students have drowned in Ribang village, Kauru local government area of Kaduna State.
The victims were returning from the West African Junior School Examination (Junior WAEC) venue when the incident happened.
While the locals said six victims were involved in the accident, the police indicated that they were eight.
The villagers identified them as Manasseh Monday (16 yrs), Musa John (16 yrs), Pius David (15 yrs), Monday Ayuba (16 yrs), David Danlami (19 yrs), and Yahuza Audu (16 yrs) were reported to have drowned in the Mbang River at Ribang Village.
They were students of the Government Secondary School, Fadan Chawai.
The national public relations officer of Ribang Development Association, Pastor Simon Ishaku, who confirmed the incident to the media via telephone on Wednesday, said three bodies of the victims had been found and buried.
Ishaku said the remaining three bodies of the victims were yet to be recovered by locals who were still searching for them in the river.
“The school children left their homes full of hope and excitement while their parents went to the farm with the hope of reuniting with them after writing their papers of the day, only to meet their untimely death.
“The Mbang River has been a death trap for our people over the years, noting that before the community can access any school or any hospital facility, they have to travel for about eight kilometres.
“We’re calling on the Federal Government, Governor Uba Sani, Senator Sunday Katung, and our House of Representative members, as a matter of urgency, to kindly assist us with school, hospital, access road, and bridge in order to bring succour to our community,” Simon appealed.
The state police command confirmed that eight teenage students drowned in the Mbang River in Ribang village, Kauru Local Government Area of State, after writing their Junior West African School Examination (WAEC).
When contacted, the command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, who confirmed the incident, said, “Yes, we have received the information from our DPO, Daman Kasuwa Division, where eight of GSS Fadan Chawai were missing yesterday.
“Investigation reveals that after writing their Junior WAEC Exams in the School around 5 pm, they were drowned in the river, investigation reveals that they were drowned in the river. Four corpses were recovered, two were rescued, and two are still missing,” he said.