How ASUU strike, lack of bridge contributed to the death of an undergraduate, three others in Potaba river Kaltungo
CHIMA AZUBUIKE, narrates the sad occurrence leading to the loss of father, son and two others at Potaba River in Aya-kaleh community Kaltungo Local Government.
Residents have wondered if the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), nationwide strike had been suspended 19-year-old Abdulrazak Mohammed, a 400 level student of Federal University Kashere (FUK), Gombe, wouldn’t have been caught in his untimely end with his father Mohammed Ibrahim, a 45-year-old driver and two others at Potaba River in Aya-kaleh community, Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Mohammed, as a matter of routine accompanied his father who owned a mini van popularly known as ‘kwakwa’. The van was usually used to make brisk firewood business. The family relied on the returns that comes from their supply of firewood to business owners. Until the fateful day when the mini van that usually rode across the river from the forest to Aya-kaleh community through to Kaltungo Local Government had technical issues.
Aya-kaleh community is a rural area, with many women and youths involved in farming, peasant businesses. This include felling of trees to get firewood for use, as applied in the case of Ibrahim, whose responsibility was delivering the woods to shops where he could make his money in order to fend for his family. As early as possible Ibrahim, would go in search of those with needs and in turn supply them after getting his goods from the forest, around the mountainous area. He located this route by driving past the shallow river, rainfall usually determines the risk involved in crossing.
Our Correspondent reports that the victims’ van was stuck in between the river on Wednesday 17th August 2022 but he returned on Thursday 18th August, 2022 with great optimism that they would move the vehicle out of the river, against warnings from nearby farmers who urged Ibrahim to let the van be.
Unfortunately, due to the rain, the water table increased where they were drowned and their bodies swept to Ture Betbede in Kaltungo, some miles away from the river.
At Potaba River, Our correspondent witnessed the challenges faced by residents in passing the river after each daily activities at one end of the river. Motorcycles readily comes to the rescue with some getting entangled in between the water.
When Periscope Ngeria arrived the family house of the Mohammed’s located at Kalaring, the plight of the family was glaring all over the atmosphere, as it was a major blow losing two in a tragedic occurrence at once.
30-year-old Mohammed Hassan, surviving brother of Ibrahim said the family would not remain the same. According to him, Ibrahim, who made a living through supplying firewoods was the bread winner of the family.
He said, “I am sarkin aska by profession (traditional barber) in kaltungo, I don’t see as much money to sustain the family. Mohammed Ibrahim, was 45 years old while Abdulrazak Mohammed his son who was 19 years old. Ibrahim, had only one wife, our parents are also alive and living in the same house.
“Mohammed was a 400 level Islamic studies student at federal university kashere. Who perhaps waiting to return back to school once ASUU suspends the strike. Mohammed was in final year, as a well brought up son, he assisted my brother his father in his business that was how they erked their honest living.”
Expressing his grief Hassan, said his relationship with the deceased was cordial explaining that he had not recovered from the shock of the news, stressing that shouldering the responsibility of the entire family would be a tall order for him to meet.
“I was very shock on hearing the news because hours before he left he (Ibrahim) came to me and we greeted each other and he left with the his vehicle in other to deliver the fire wood to the owner.
“I’m yet to come to reality with the news. find it very difficult to accept such bad news because the deceased happened to be an elder brother in our family. The burden is on the deceased and me as the younger brother I must say that it has not been easy,” Hassan said.
While urging government to support the immediate family of the deceased whom he described as bread winner who left eight dependants, by providing another van to enable the family bounce back.
He added, “i am calling on the government to come to my rescue because i am not finding it easy to cope because i don’t know where to start from.
“Government should help my family because the bread winner of the family which is the deceased is gone am begging the government to provide another vehicle for us to carry on the work that the deceased left behind because he had eight children and is on us his brothers.”
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Potaba river residents say has a tradition of claiming lives yearly, sometimes shallow allowing the passage of motorcycles and vans from one point to the other but increases in quantity due to flood from rain. The rocky nature of the river is the reason why survival is minimal aside drowning, victims were smashed their head on the stones.
Some residents who spoke with Periscope Ngeria said the perennial trap would be solved when government constructed a bridge across the river, advising farmers to exercise patience before crossing.
Survivors bemoan occurrence
Speaking, Ngale Beni 30-year-old farmer in Aya-kaleh community who witnessed the tragic occurrence said Ibrahim was advised to abandon the vehicle, due to perceived risk of moving it out amidst the raging flood.
Ngale said he was in his nearby farmer when they beckoned on him for assistance to help them push the stucked vehicle out of the river, which he said he obliged was lucky to escape unhurt.
He said, “The victims went to the bush to bring some firewood to sell in town, some of us (farmers) warned him not drive in with the vehicle because we know the effect but he gave us a deaf ear.
“This is the only road we have that link to other villages, all this water gathered as a result of the rainfall because the water is not usually full like this. Some other men were trying to help the deceased push the car out of the river. They (deceased) usually go to mountainous area to get firewood and place is called kabinyan. Even as we got help from other people and the farmers still the car got stuck.”
Beni added that Ibrahim and three others lost their lives following the quantity of water. “The water became higher than it was before that’s what led to the sweeping of the car and other people because it became beyond our control.”
Survivors narrowly escaped through the use of rope as those outside provided them the assistance, “so they will put rope inside the river and if peradventure you catch the rope they will draw you out of the water and if you are unable to catch it the water will sweep you away,” Beni said.
Dila Philemon, is another survivor who escaped by whiskers, narrating his ordeal at his sirene compound with mud and rafters Philemon said at some point he passed out and could only recount what he was told.
Philemon said,”we were on our way back home, so the deceased ask me to help him push his vehicle out of water so in the process of helping him, rain started falling and the river was filled up, the water swept everyone of us.
“I fell unconscious, some people were saying that the vehicle Summersaulted two times only two persons including me were saved. I know some of the people that passed on during the incident, so for me it a very sad occurrence.”
Aya-kaleh, kalaring communities continue to mourn
Haruna Musa-Galadima, the Village Head of Aya-kaleh said the incident was regrettable, adding that residents were yet to recover from the shock of losing loved ones.
Musa-Galadima who was visibly pained by the loss of the father and son, alongside two others lamented the unavailability of bridges to link the forest, farmland to the communities.
He added that the communities have no other route of passage to their farms, advising them to always exercise patience after every rainfall for the river to reduce before passing.
“The incident that took place has been reoccurring and we’ve been seeking for help from the government several times but they are yet to take action so we are hoping that this time around the government will come to our rescue and do something about it.
“Most of the people here are farmers and is a must for us to go to the farm and because we usually pass that same route so many people will not have the patience of allowing the water to reduce before passing so they will decide to take the risk and cross the water and in the process it will sweep them away. There’s no other road you can cross apart from this one and whenever rain falls one will have to wait for about six hours before crossing,” Musa-Galadima said.
He added, “Our call to government is that they should try and construct bridge for us because this incident has been happening almost every year and it claimed more than four lives but this time around it claimed more than 10 lives.
“It is not just here that it’s happening it occurs in places like Dogonruwa and Awak but ours is a major problem, because there are stone in the water so if it swept you it will heat you and you sustain injury before they even remove you from the water so that’s why most at times if water sweep someone to the river before we get there the person the individual has passed on.”
On his part, The paramount ruler of Kaltungo Local Government Area, Mai Kaltungo, Engr. Saleh Mohammed, who appreciated government’s concern especially in condoling with them over the deaths of their sons, noted that every year people’s lives were lost over what he described as preventable.
The monarch urged Government to come to their aid by constructing bridges over the rivers in Popandi and Banganje to forestall future occurrence.
He said, “The position of Kaltungo is situated on hills and cliffs which makes formation of rivers possible. Our farms are located across rivers and our people must go to the farms to survive. This incident happened when one of our youths who owned a peugeot( pick-up) van got stucked in the sand while attempting to cross a river since there is no bridge. In the process they were drowned, and we lost four youths, in three families.”
“We are appealing to the state Government to come to our aid and stop this yearly incidences of loss of lives and properties. We are tired of burying our youths in the process of struggling to have ends meet,” The monarch added.
The Mai who spoke amidst tears said, “as Traditional Rulers we value every life in the Society therefore we are so much pained when a single life is lost, let alone four at a time. We pray God Almighty grants them eternal rest.”
Also speaking, Lakwanjang Saidu, Special Assistant to Governor Muhammadu Yahaya on Students’ Affairs, lamented the sad occurrence which he described as unfortunate.
He expressed optimism that government would look into the remote causes of the perennial loss of lives at the river, urging the people not to risk passing through the water.
Saidu, while lamenting the impact of the loss on deceased relatives urged for immediate response towards curbing subsequent loss, “I wish to call on the attention of the government and i believe alot of people lost their lives here so i trust that when government builds a bridge here it will enable people cross there will be no more loss of life and these incidents will not be reoccurring.
“Some of the people that lost their lives are students so I’m pleading to Gombe State Government to help us and construct a bridge to avoid the reoccurrence of this sad incident and I wish to commend Government’s effort so far.
“Its been more than 10 years that these river has been claiming alot of lives here and is as a result of absence of bridge if the bridge is built now it will really go a long way for the people.”
Saidu added, “There are people living across the river and also there are activities that happens behind the mountain there, there are fulani/ herders and some of our people living behind the mountain. Bandara community, etc and i believe alot of agricultural activities are happening there that will boost the Gross Domestic Product of the state.”
He revealed that the victims were buried beside the river, adding that “their bodies were found along Ture, in (bebpede ) their bodies were discovered a day after the incident occurred on Friday.
“My advice go to the villagers that stay across the river that any day is about to rain they should try as much as possible to go back home in order not to be a victim of last unfortunate incident that occurred.
“Secondly, i am calling on the farmers too to use same method given to the settlers, when ever it rains they should wait when the water reduce, before they cross to the other side and also look for people who can swim to be there to rescue any person that cannot swim. If my people follows this advice before the government intervene it will go a long way in reducing such reoccurrence.”
Government’s Intervention
Hope seems to have increased for the farmers and residents as Gombe State Government sent a high-powered delegation on Saturday, led by the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Jatau, who urged the Mai Kaltungo and his subjects to accept the incidence as a divine providence, while lamenting the death of the youths who died in the process of eking out a living and left behind families and dependents.
Jatau said, ” Your Royal Highness, we have always hoped to visit your Chiefdom during a joyous moment, especially that the Commissioning of the Mosque is around the corner. But as it is , according to divine arrangement we have come on a sad note to condole with the Mai and the people of your Chiefdom over the death of four people who were drowned in a river. I enjoined us to accept this in good faith as God, our maker knows all.”
While promising to direct Works Commissioner to end the yearly occurrence in the area through the provision of requisite infrastructure.
“Since I have been told that, the drowning of people in the river is a yearly occurrence, we will direct the Commissioner of Works to make assessment and advised the government on the next line of action in order to stop this menace,” Jatau promised.
Also, Chairman Kaltungo Local Government Council Hon. Faruk Umar expressed appreciation to Governor Yahaya for sending the delegation led by his Deputy to sympathise with them, praying God to bless them.
Speaking at the residence of one of the victims, Mal. Alhassan Maina appreciated the government’s delegation for coming to commiserate with them over the deaths, praying God to reward the officials abundantly.
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