Three teenage girls – Fatima Sule, 12, Nasiya Sale, 12 and Huwaila Sa’adu, 13 – have drowned drowned in a pond in Buji Local Government Area of Jigawa on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
The Jigawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) while confirming the incident said the girls, all from Tulla village went to cut some grass to feed their livestock beside the pond when they accidentally drowned.
According to the spokesperson for the command, ASC Badaruddeen Tijuana, the incident occurred on Saturday at about 11:00 am.
He said, “The NSCDC personnel operating in the area received a distress call from some members of the Tulla community at about 11:10 am and rushed to the scene with the divisional disaster management officers for a rescue mission.
“And together with the people of the community, they were able to recover the bodies of the three young girls after about 30 minutes of search and rescue operation,” Mr Tijuana said.
He further explained that the girls were immediately rushed to the nearest health centre in Buji where they were confirmed dead by the doctors.
According to Mr Tijuana, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their death revealed that the deceased cut some grass at the same place, where they were drowned.
He also stated the remains of the girls were handed over to their respective parents and have been buried according to Islamic rites.
In addition, the NSCDC commandant in the state, Muhammad Danjuma has commiserated with the families of the deceased and enjoined parents to look after their wards, especially at seasons when ponds and rivers were over flooded to avoid such incidents.
