Six students writing junior WAEC exam drown in Kaduna

Six students of the Government Secondary School Fadan Chawai have drowned in a Kauru LGA of Kaduna state.

NAN reports that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening while the students were returning home after writing their Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE) exams.

The victims are Manasseh Monday, 16; Musa John, 16; Pius David, 15; Monday Ayuba, 16; David Danlami, 19; and Yahuza Audu, 16.

Ishaya Chingali, a community leader in Chawai and vice president of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), said 11 students entered the river linking the Ribang community and Fadan Chawai.

“Six of them drowned, five survived,” Chingali said.

Chingali said four bodies have so far been recovered while the search for the remaining two was still ongoing.

“They tried to cross the river to the other side like they have done several times. Six drowned in the process,” he said.

When contacted, Bashir Dawaki, the chairman of Kauru LGA, said he had directed security agencies to get a detailed report of what happened.

“I’m on my way to the place, but I have directed the security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation and get back to me,” the chairman said.

“So, I cannot say much right now until I am properly briefed.”

In a statement, Tabara Kato, SOKAPU president, consoled with families of the deceased school children and the Ribang community.

Kato called on the government and all relevant security agencies to come to the aid of rural communities by fixing roads and bridges that link up other communities to avert a recurrence.

Kauru LGA is a generally rural setting with its inhabitants trekking long distances to schools, markets, and even farms.

The worst hit are those in Chawai Chiefdom, an agrarian community disadvantaged by the acute dearth of roads and other basic facilities.

It is reported that schoolchildren miss classes for weeks when the rivers and streams get filled up during the rainy season.

Community sources said the deceased children had opted to dare the river so as not to miss their exam.