Daud Olatunji
A 13-year-old student of Ihyau El-Burhan Academy, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhassan Jamil, has been swept away by flood while riding to school with his father.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at a flooded channel around a double-cell culvert as the boy’s father, Jamil Maikasuwa, attempted to cross the waterway on a motorcycle.
Maikasuwa, who is the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council on Domestic Affairs, said he was taking his son from their Old Kutunku residence to school when he noticed that the floodwater was moving rapidly.
He said he applied the motorcycle’s brakes after becoming concerned about the strength of the current, but the boy became frightened and jumped off the motorcycle.
According to the father, he immediately abandoned the motorcycle and reached out to rescue his son, but the force of the flood swept the teenager away before he could pull him to safety.
Maikasuwa said the boy had yet to be recovered as of Wednesday, although residents living close to the riverbank reportedly claimed to have seen what appeared to be his body floating in the water.
He added that the student was said to still have his school bag strapped to his back when he was reportedly seen in the water.
Following the incident, fishermen and divers were mobilised to search the waterways for the missing teenager.
The search was ongoing as of the time of filing this report, while the family awaited confirmation of the boy’s whereabouts.
The incident has again raised concerns about the dangers posed by flooded roads, culverts and waterways to residents during periods of heavy rainfall, particularly children travelling to school.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred amid continuing concerns over the safety of residents navigating flood-prone areas in the Federal Capital Territory during the rainy season.
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