Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed the death of 18 people while three persons were rescued after a canoe was drowned in Buji river in Itas Gadau Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman of the command DSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil stated this in a statement he distributed to reporters on Friday in Bauchi.
He said “last Thursday, one Ali Adamu, the village head of Majiya, came to Itas-Gadau Police Station and reported that one Nuhu Kaila ‘m’ of Zango Majiya village, while carrying about 23 persons in a Canoe, from Zango Majiya to Farm, on reaching middle of river Buji, the canoe capsized, 18 persons drowned on the spot.”
Wakil gave the names of the victims as Abdulraham Shehu, 20, Suwaiba Yusuf, 12, Saude Abdulkarim, 14, Fatima Maigari, 10, Zuwaira Maigari, 10, Hari Maigari, 9, Hussaina Maigari, 8, Ummani Abdulkarim, 15, Halima Saminu, 15, of Gidan Ganji village, Najaatu Hamza, 15, Nura Abdullahi, 25, Yahuza Abdullahi, 12, Hafsa Abdullahi, 11, of Majiya village, Sadiya Hashimu, 10, Khadija Alhassan, 15, of Gwarai village, Amina Idris, 15, Kaltime Hudu, 14, Furaira Malam Magaji, 14, of Zangon Majiya village.
He said the canoe driver and one Aisha, 16, Umaru Adamu, 30, were rescued unconscious.
Wakil said “on receipt of the report the DPO and team of policemen rushed to the scene and corpses were removed from the river and taken to General Hospital Itas, for postmortem examination, adding that the medical doctor certified 18 persons dead, while 5 persons were rescued.
