Children drown in Benue  – Daily Trust

Two children have drowned at a dam at the foot of Mkar hills in Gboko area of Benue State.

Barely 24 hours after the first incident involving a 12-year-old boy occurred, another victim drowned in the same dam.

Witnesses gave the names of the first victim who drowned on Saturday as Kumater Kachii and the second was identified as 13-year-old Aondosoo Ansambe.

Residents narrated that the deceased Kachii went earlier in company of his brothers to fetch firewood at Mkar hills.

It was also gathered that the late Kachii whose parent live at Trinity Primary School Street in Akaajime Gboko, went from fetching the firewood to swimming at the dam located on same Mkar hill where he got drowned.

The residents said some farmers and Mkar youths made efforts to  rescue the boy, however it was his lifeless body that was eventually recovered and brought to his family’s residence at Akaajime.

The deceased’s mother, Mrs Veronica Sesugh Kachii, told journalists in Gboko that they (family) proceeded with the corpse to their home town at branch – Kunav in Vandekya Local Government Area of the state where it was buried on Sunday.

Sadly, about the time on Sunday morning when the first victim was being buried, a teenager, Aondosoo Ansambe of Jerusalem Street, Akaajime in Gboko, went swimming and drowned as well.

Ansambe was said to have gone to the stream to swim with his friends while his parent were in church for morning mass when the incident happened.

Residents said with the aid of Akaajime youths and passersby, the lifeless body of the teenager was later recovered and handed over to the family for burial.

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP. Catherine Anene, however said the command was not yet aware of the incident.