The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) and the Kaduna State Fire Service, has intensified search and rescue operations for two men feared drowned after they were reportedly swept away by floodwaters in the Kaduna River.
The victims were identified as Musa Musa Bawa, 27, a 200-level student of the College of Nursing, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, and Abubakar Ibrahim Muhammad Likoro, 25, an employee of Olam Flour Mills. Both were reportedly attempting to cross the swollen river on Saturday evening when they were carried away by the strong current following heavy rainfall.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Head of NEMA Operations Office in Kaduna, Hajiya Halima Suleiman, said the agency activated its emergency response team immediately after receiving a distress call.
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According to her, the search operation commenced on Sunday morning at Hayin Mallam Bello in Kaduna South Local Government Area, involving personnel from NEMA, KADSEMA, the Kaduna State Fire Service, local divers and other emergency responders.
She said that despite the coordinated efforts of all participating agencies, the victims had not been found as of Monday, adding that rescue teams would continue the operation until both men were located.
Suleiman commended the professionalism and resilience of emergency personnel and community volunteers participating in the operation despite the challenging conditions created by the swollen river.
She also visited the families of the missing men to sympathise with them and encourage them to remain hopeful as the search continued.
Officials of KADSEMA and the Kaduna State Fire Service disclosed that additional divers and rescue equipment had been deployed to widen the search area along the river.
Community leaders in Hayin Mallam Bello praised the swift intervention of the emergency agencies and pledged local support by providing knowledge of the river and surrounding terrain to aid the operation.
As the search entered its second day, relatives, friends and colleagues of the missing men remained at the riverbank awaiting a breakthrough.
The incident comes amid renewed warnings from emergency management agencies urging residents to avoid crossing flooded rivers, streams and drainage channels during the peak of the rainy season, when heavy rainfall frequently causes dangerous flooding across many parts of the country.
