The bodies of two children—a young boy and a nine-year-old girl—were discovered in a drainage system following a heavy downpour in Minna, the capital of Niger State, on Tuesday.

Residents of the Tunga area initially believed that only the girl, whose parents are reportedly from Edo State, had been swept away by the flood. However, when her father arrived to identify her body, it was revealed that a second child—a boy—had also died in the incident.

The girl, said to be the only daughter among three siblings, had been sent to Tunga Market, roughly two kilometres from their home, to buy ingredients for soup. Her 11-year-old brother accompanied her. They carried an umbrella as it had been raining lightly since early morning. Although the rain had temporarily stopped when they left, dark skies signalled that more rainfall was likely.

While on their way, the rain resumed with intensity, quickly flooding the roads and drainage systems in the area. The downpour halted traffic, with motorists forced to park and wait for the water to recede.

It was gathered that the incident occurred as the siblings were returning home from the market. The girl is believed to have slipped and fallen into a drainage channel. Her brother reportedly cried out for help as she was being swept away, but due to the strength and level of the water, residents were unable to intervene. Helplessly, they watched as the floodwaters carried her away.

The boy rushed home to inform their parents. Later, the girl’s father was called to identify her body at a tunnel on Mandela Street—over five kilometers from where she fell. Upon arrival, he found not only his daughter’s corpse but also that of another boy who had also drowned in the flood.

When contacted on Tuesday night, the spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hussaine Ibrahim, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating that the agency was not previously aware of the situation.

“Our team will visit the girl’s family in Tunga tomorrow to gather more details,” he said.