By Faridat Salifu
Three teenagers identified as Fatima Sule, Nasiya Sale, both 12 years old, and Huwaila Sa’adu, 13, were reportedly collecting grass on Saturday near a pond to feed their parents livestock when they got drowned in Tulla village, Jigawa State.
Eyewitnesses recount that the girls were busied cutting the grass close to the water’s edge when they accidentally slipped into a pond.
All efforts by people in the vicinity to rescue the three proved abortive and the young girls could not be saved.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was quick to respond to the emergency.
According to Badruddeen Tijjani Muhammad, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC’s Jigawa State Command, the Corps received a distress call and immediately dispatched a team to the scene.
The rescue operation, led by the NSCDC Divisional Officer for Buji LGA, Abdulrashid Suleiman Adam, was able to recover the bodies, which were then transported to the nearest health centre.
The tragic incident has left the village in a state of shock, with residents mourning the untimely loss of the three girls.
.Members of their community have been gathering to offer their condolences to the grieving families, who are now faced with an unimaginable loss.
The NSCDC has extended its condolences to the families affected and has pledged to support them during this difficult period.
An investigation has been launched to uncover the exact circumstances that led to this ugly incident, as the community grapple with the impact of the tragedy.