By Ado Oyeyemi
Tragedy struck Janbago community in Katsina State after two brothers were swept away by floodwaters while returning home from an Islamiyya school following a heavy downpour.
The victims, identified as 12 year old Muhammad Salisu and his seven year old brother, Abdurrahman Salisu, were reportedly caught in the flood after torrential rain, accompanied by strong winds, turned roads in the community into fast flowing streams.
Residents launched a search for the children, whose bodies were later recovered from separate locations.
The incident threw the community into mourning as sympathisers gathered at the family home to console the bereaved parents.
Their father, Malam Salisu Arabi, described the tragedy as the most painful experience of his life, saying he never imagined that a routine trip to school would end in the loss of his two sons.
He prayed for the repose of the children’s souls and appealed to the government to take urgent measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
The children’s mother, overwhelmed by grief, urged authorities to address the recurring flooding in the area, saying no family should have to endure such a devastating loss.
Residents said Janbago community had endured years of flooding caused by inadequate drainage infrastructure, stressing that the latest tragedy could have been prevented.
According to community leaders, stormwater from different parts of Katsina Local Government Area flows into Janbago during heavy rainfall, resulting in severe flooding, erosion, damaged roads and threats to lives and property.
They lamented that repeated appeals to successive governments for proper drainage channels had yet to yield lasting results.
Chairman of the Janbago Community Development Association, Malam Tajuddeen, said the flooding problem had persisted for more than a decade, leaving residents vulnerable every rainy season.
He described the deaths of the two children as one of the most heartbreaking consequences of the recurring disaster and appealed to the Katsina State Government to urgently construct drainage facilities and implement effective erosion control measures.
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Residents also called on Governor Dikko Umaru Radda and relevant government agencies to intervene without delay, warning that more lives could be at risk if lasting flood control projects are not carried out before the peak of the rainy season.
