Two brothers returning from an Islamiyya school have been swept away and killed by floodwaters in Janbago community, Katsina State, as residents blamed the tragedy on the community’s longstanding drainage problems.
The victims, identified as Muhammad Salisu, 12, and his seven-year-old brother, Abdurrahman Salisu, reportedly drowned after a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds turned roads in the community into torrents.
Their bodies were later recovered from separate locations after a frantic search by residents, throwing the community into mourning.
The children’s father, Malam Salisu Arabi, described the incident as the darkest day of his life, saying he never imagined that his sons would not return home after leaving for their Islamic lessons.
“They left home like every other day for Islamiyya school. I never imagined 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 experience this kind of pain,” he said.
He prayed for the repose of the children and appealed to the Katsina State Government to take urgent steps to prevent similar tragedies.
The bereaved mother, who struggled to contain her emotions, said the flood had shattered her family.
“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 so that no other mother will have to bury her children because of flooding,” she said.
Residents said the deaths were avoidable, alleging that Janbago community had suffered persistent flooding for years due to the absence of adequate drainage infrastructure.
A community elder explained that runoff from several parts of Katsina Local Government Area converges on Janbago whenever there is heavy rainfall, leading to severe flooding, erosion and destruction of roads and property.
According to him, repeated appeals to successive governments for proper drainage channels have yielded little result.
The Chairman of the Janbago Community Development Association, Malam Tajuddeen, said the flooding had persisted for more than a decade, exposing residents to danger every rainy season.
“This is not the first flooding incident in our community, but this is one of the most heartbreaking 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,” he said.
He added that the community had written several letters and made repeated appeals to government authorities without receiving a permanent solution.
“We are appealing to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda to come to our rescue. This has gone beyond an environmental problem; it is now a matter of life and death. We need proper drainage and erosion-control measures before another tragedy occurs,” he said.
Residents urged the Katsina State Government and relevant agencies to immediately construct effective drainage channels and implement flood-control projects, warning that more lives could be lost if urgent intervention is delayed.
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