It was a sad day in Janbago, a community in Katsina State as two brothers, Muhammad Salisu, 12, and Abdurrahman Salisu, 7, lost their lives when they were swept away by heavy flood while returning from school
The siblings’ usual walk home from a nearby Islamiyya school turned fatal when a sudden, heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds, triggered heavy flood which turned the streets into raging torrents and instantly carried the children away before any help could come.
Sources said their bodies were later recovered from different locations after frantic search efforts by residents with the unfortunate incident plunging the entire community into mourning. Sympathisers thronged the family residence to console the bereaved parents.
Visibly distraught and fighting back tears, the grieving father, Malam Salisu Arabi, described the tragedy as the most profound and agonizing pain he has ever endured, saying: “They left home that day like every other child going to Islamiyya school. I never imagined that the same rain we all witnessed would take away my two children.
“I have lost two sons in a single day. No father should ever have to endure this kind of pain. I pray that Allah grants them Aljannatul Firdaus, and I appeal to the government to help us so that another family will not suffer what we are passing through.”
Also expressing her grief, the devastated mother, surrounded by weeping relatives, choked back tears to declare that the memories of her sons, swept away in the sudden flood, would remain etched in her heart forever, lamenting thus: “They were my children, my happiness and my hope.
“Today, they are gone because of this flood. My heart is broken. I am pleading with the government to address this problem. I don’t want any other mother to bury her children because of flooding.”
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, some residents described the tragedy as avoidable, insisting that Janbago community has suffered recurring floods for years due to inadequate drainage infrastructure.
While baring his mind on what he considered a “tragic event” for the family and the entire community, an elder in the area explained that storm-water from several parts of Katsina Local Government Area converges on Janbago during heavy rainfall, resulting in severe erosion, damaged roads and repeated flooding that threatens lives and property.
He said residents have repeatedly appealed to successive administrations and relevant agencies to provide proper drainage channels, but little has changed.
Also reacting to the unfortunate development, Chairman of the Janbago Community Development Association (JCDA), Malam Tajuddeen, said the flooding problem has persisted for more than a decade, hindering development and exposing residents to danger every rainy season.
He said, “This is not the first time we have experienced flooding, but this is one of the most heartbreaking incidents because it claimed the lives of two innocent children. Water from different parts of Katsina passes through this community because there are no adequate drainage channels. Every year we lose property, our roads are washed away and our people live in fear whenever it rains.”
Tajuddeen said the community had written letters and made several appeals to government authorities over the years, but a permanent solution had yet to be provided, adding: “We are appealing to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda to come to our rescue. This is no longer just an environmental challenge; it has become a matter of life and death. We need proper drainage and erosion-control measures before another tragedy occurs.”
Meanwhile, sounding the alarm about an escalating crisis, community members are calling for swift action from the Katsina State Government and relevant agencies to construct robust drainage networks, cautioning that without these critical engineering interventions, the rainy season will keep triggering catastrophic floods across the State.
