A tragic incident rocked the Zangon Kaya community in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State on Friday, as four young men drowned in a blocked waterway during a failed rescue attempt.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the deaths, identifying the victims as Bashir Sani (28), Nasirudden Tasi’u (25), Usman Ubale (26), and Yakubu Muhammed (22). The men reportedly died while trying to save each other from the deep, clogged channel.
According to a statement by the fire service spokesperson, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, the incident occurred around 1:48 p.m. and was reported by a resident, Rabiu Yusif. He explained that two of the victims initially entered the waterway to swim but became trapped in the accumulated water caused by ongoing railway construction in the area.
As panic set in, a third person jumped in to help but also got stuck. Tragically, a fourth man who rushed in to rescue them met the same fate.
“Local residents managed to retrieve two of the victims before our team arrived,” Abdullahi said. “Our operatives recovered the remaining two. Sadly, all four were unconscious and later confirmed dead.”
The bodies were handed over to the Dawanau Police Division, led by SP Abdulkadir Albasu.
The fire service attributed the heartbreaking event to unsafe swimming practices in a blocked drainage channel, warning residents to stay away from dangerous, unmonitored water bodies, especially those affected by construction activities.
The incident has cast a pall over the community, with many mourning the young men, some of whom died while selflessly trying to save others.