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| Two teenagers perish in Benue dam |
Over the weekend, two young individuals tragically lost their lives at the Mkar Hills Dam located in Gboko, the central hub of Gboko Local Government Area in Benue State.
Reports from DAILY POST indicate that on Saturday, June 22, 2024, a 12-year-old named Kumater Kachii from Trinity Primary School’s street, Akaajime, Gboko, accompanied by his siblings, went to collect firewood at Mkar Hills.
Subsequently, they decided to swim in the dam at Mkar Hills, which led to the unfortunate drowning of Kumater Kachii.
Mrs. Veronica Sesugh, the mother of the deceased, stated that with the assistance of local farmers and the youth of Mkar, Kumater's body was retrieved and briefly brought to his family's home in Akaajime before being transported to his ancestral village, Branch, Kunav, in the Vandekya Local Government Area of Benue for funeral rites.
In a subsequent incident, another young teen, 13-year-old Master Aondosoo Ansambe, met a similar fate on Sunday.
Master Ansambe, a resident of Jerusalem Street in Akaajime, Gboko, succumbed to the waters of Kontien Stream near the Akaajime-Mkar-Gboko road while swimming with his peers.
Witnesses, Mrs. Mary Ioryange and Avalumun Hembaor, reported that the tragedy took place while the deceased's parents were attending the morning mass at church.
Aondosoo's body was discovered and retrieved through the collective efforts of the youth of Akaajime and bystanders, and was then delivered to his family.
Master Aondosoo, who attended Vaxtee Nursery and Primary School in Akaajime, Gboko, will be laid to rest in Mayongo, Kunav, within the Vandekya Local Government Area, as informed by a relative.
In light of these events, community leaders of Akaajime, including Elder Tyover Akaajime, Hon. Smith Takema, and Youth Leader Butty Ukor, have expressed their concern over the disregard of parental warnings against social gatherings by their children.
They have urged law enforcement and governmental bodies to delve into the causes behind the recurring drownings of young individuals in the vicinity.
The community representatives have also implored parents and inhabitants of Akaajime to advise their children to refrain from swimming and participating in other non-essential social activities at the Mkar Hills Dam.
The administration of Mkar University in Gboko has expressed gratitude towards the Student Union Government and the local fishermen for their role in recovering the bodies.
