6 students drown after writing exam in Kaduna

Six students of Government Secondary School, Fadan Chawai in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have drowned on their way home after writing the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSE).

The students, all from Ribang community in Kaduna State, were on their way back home after writing the ongoing JSSC examination when the incident occurred on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

A community leader in Chawai and Vice President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Ishaya Chingali, disclosed that 11 students entered the river linking Ribang community and Fadan Chawai.

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

“They tried to cross the river to the other side like they have done severally. Unfortunately, six of them drowned in the process.”

The community leader stated that four bodies had been recovered while the search for the remaining two was still ongoing.

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The President of the Ribang Development Association, Yohanna Gwall, gave the names of the deceased as Manasseh Monday, Musa John, Pius David, David Danlami, Yahuza Audu, and Monday Ayuba.

Gwall stated: “It is really sad; a tragedy has befallen our community. Their parents won’t see them again. Their siblings and friends won’t play with them again.

“They just left with their dreams and aspirations at their prime.”

The incident was also confirmed by the Chairman of Kauru Local Government, Bashir Dawaki , on Wednesday.

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

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

Findings revealed that students in the area miss classes for weeks when the rivers and streams get filled up during the rainy season.

The Star