A 13-year-old Junior Secondary School student, Alhassan Jamil, has been swept away by flood while on his way to school in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
Jamil, a student of Ihyau eel-burhan Academy, Phase 3, Gwagwalada, was swept away on Wednesday while his father, Jamil Maikasuwa, was taking him to school on a motorcycle.
Narrating the incident at his residence in Old Kutunku, Maikasuwa said the incident occurred while they were crossing a double-cell culvert.
According to him, he noticed that the floodwater was flowing at high speed and immediately applied the motorcycle’s brake.
He said his son, who was sitting behind him, became frightened and jumped off the motorcycle, falling into the floodwater.
Maikasuwa said he quickly pushed the motorcycle aside and attempted to rescue the boy but the strong current swept him away.
“Upon discovering that he jumped down from the bike, I quickly pushed the bike aside and tried to grab his hand in order to save him, but unfortunately, the floodwater swept him away,” he said.
Maikasuwa, who is the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council on Domestic Affairs, said his son had yet to be recovered as of Wednesday.
He said fishermen and divers had been mobilised to search for the missing boy.
The father, however, said some residents living close to the riverbank claimed to have seen a body floating in the water with a school bag strapped to its back.
“Actually, my son’s corpse is yet to be recovered, even though some residents whose houses are close to the riverbank said they discovered the corpse with his school bag strapped to his back floating.
“We hope that the corpse will be recovered so we can give him a befitting burial,” he said.
The incident has renewed concerns over the dangers posed by flooding in parts of the FCT, particularly around waterways, culverts and other flood-prone areas.
Authorities and residents are expected to intensify safety measures around flood channels and waterways, especially during heavy rainfall.
