Niger State, Nigeria – A family has been plunged into profound grief following the tragic death of their nine-year-old daughter, Omonegbo Umoru, who drowned last Tuesday afternoon after falling into a flooded drainage during heavy rainfall. Her distraught mother, Elizabeth Umoru, remains inconsolable, struggling to come to terms with the sudden and devastating loss.
The devastating incident occurred when Omonegbo, the only daughter among Elizabeth’s three children, was sent on an errand to Tunga market, approximately two kilometres from their residence, to purchase grains of rice for the family’s lunch.
Elizabeth Umoru, her voice heavy with sorrow, recounted the harrowing moments. “Omonegbo had collected the rice and was coming back when she slipped and fell into a drainage during one of the heavy rainy days,” she narrated, tears streaming down her face.
Omonegbo’s elder brother, who had accompanied her on the ill-fated errand, described the desperate attempts to save her. He explained that after she fell, the rain, which had already caused the drainage to flood, began to rapidly wash his sister away. Despite his spirited efforts, aided by neighbours who rushed to the scene, the surge of the flood was too strong for them to effect any meaningful rescue.
“The rescue party did not have any option but to watch her go with the tide,” the bereaved Elizabeth lamented, her pain palpable.
The grim search concluded hours later when Omonegbo’s lifeless body was finally recovered. “Her corpse was later recovered in another drainage and in a faraway part of the town with injuries to her head,” Elizabeth cried, the memory clearly tormenting her.
A family member present at the Umoru’s mournful home reiterated the tragic circumstances, highlighting that the young girl, cherished as the only daughter, was simply on an innocent errand that turned into an unimaginable tragedy. The incident serves as a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the dangers posed by inadequate urban drainage systems during the rainy season.
