A 13-year-old JSS student, Alhassan Jamil, of Ihyau El-Burhan Academy, Phase 3, Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, was swept away by flood on Wednesday.
The boy’s father, Jamil Maikasuwa, told Daily Trust at his Old Kutunku residence that he had picked up his son on his motorcycle to take him to school.
According to him, disaster struck while they were crossing a double-cell culvert. His son, who was sitting behind him, fell into the flood.
“Upon discovering that the flood water was coming on high speed, I applied brake but my son, out of fear, jumped from the bike and suddenly fell into the flood water,” he said.
“And immediately when I discovered he jumped down from the bike, I quickly pushed the bike aside and tried to grab his hand in order to save him but unfortunately, the flood water swept him away, ” he said.
Maikasuwa, the council chairman’s Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, said the boy’s body has not been found.
He added that fishermen and divers had been mobilized to search for the corpse.
“Actually, my son’s corpse is yet to be recovered, even though some residents whose houses are close to the river bank said they discovered the corpse with his school bag strapped to his back floating. We hope that the corpse will be recovered so we can give him a befitting burial,” he said.
