By Faridat Salifu

In Yar Gwanda Village, located in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State, a devastating incident unfolded, resulting in the loss of three lives during an attempt to retrieve a mobile phone from a latrine.

The victims, identified as 60-year-old Malam Danjuma, his 35-year-old son Ibrahim, and 35-year-old Aminu Gaye, tragically perished in the ill-fated rescue attempt.

According to reports from the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, only 28-year-old Abba Alasan was successfully rescued alive from the pit toilet.

The sequence of events leading to the tragedy began when Danjuma accidentally dropped his phone into the latrine. In an effort to retrieve it, he became trapped.

Subsequently, Ibrahim entered the latrine to rescue his father but also became trapped, along with Aminu Gaye.

Abdullahi recounted, “We received an emergency call from Tsanyawa Fire Station reporting that four men had been trapped inside a pit toilet. Our rescue team arrived promptly at the scene and managed to rescue three of the victims unconscious. The fourth victim, Abba Alasan, was rescued alive.”

This heartbreaking incident underscores the urgent need for improved sanitation facilities in rural areas to prevent similar tragedies.

It highlights the critical importance of safe and accessible toilet facilities to mitigate risks to human life.

In response to this tragic event, the government should prioritize the provision of adequate and secure toilet facilities in communities across the state.

This includes regular maintenance of existing facilities and the construction of new ones where needed.

Furthermore, public awareness campaigns on the significance of proper sanitation and the dangers of attempting risky rescues should be intensified to avert similar accidents in the future.