Three teenage girls tragically drowned in a pond in Buji Local Government Area of Jigawa State. The incident was confirmed by ASC Badaruddeen Tijuana, Spokesperson of the State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in a statement issued in Dutse on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
The deceased have been identified as Fatima Sule, 12; Nasiya Sale, 12; and Huwaila Sa’adu, 13, all from Tulla village. The tragedy occurred around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 10, 2024, when the girls went to cut grass near the pond to feed their livestock.
According to the statement, the NSCDC received a distress call from Tulla community members at approximately 11:10 a.m.
“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 read.
“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 recovered bodies were promptly taken to the nearest health center, where they were confirmed deceased. Investigations revealed that the girls had been cutting grass at the location where they subsequently drowned.
The bodies were handed over to their families and were buried according to Islamic rites.
NSCDC Commandant Muhammad Danjuma extended his condolences to the families of the victims and advised parents to closely supervise their children, especially during periods when ponds and rivers are swollen, to prevent such tragedies.
