Three teenage girls drown in Jigawa

Three teenage girls drowned in a pond in Buji LGA of Jigawa state on Saturday.

In a statement on Sunday, Badaruddeen Tijjani, spokesperson of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Jigawa command, said the incident occurred at about 11am on Saturday.

He said the three girls went to cut some grasses beside the pond to feed their livestock.

Tijjani said upon receiving a distress call, the bodies of the girls were recovered and immediately taken to the nearest health centre in the area, where it was confirmed  that the girls were dead.

Tijjani said the deceased girls are Fatima Sule, 12; Nasiya Sale, 12; and Huwaila Sa’adu, 13, all from Tulla village.

“The NSCDC personnel operating in the area received a distress call from some members of the Tulla community at about 11:10 a.m. and rushed to the scene with the divisional disaster management officers for a rescue mission,” the statement reads.

“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.”

The spokesperson added that the remains of the girls were handed over to their respective parents and have been buried according to Islamic rites.

According to the statement, Muhammad Danjuma, the NSCDC state commandant, commiserated with the families of the deceased.

Danjuma also urged parents to look after their wards, especially at a time when ponds and rivers are overflooded to avoid such incidents.