Tragedy as 16-year-old girl drowns while rushing home to check SSCE results in Zaria

A 16-year-old student, Praise Malachi, has drowned in a flood while hurrying home to confirm her Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results, which friends had told her were outstanding.

Praise, a final-year student of Government Day Secondary School, Samaru, Zaria, had earned a scholarship from the Centre for Girls’ Education, Zaria, to further her studies, owing to her brilliant academic record.

Her father, Emmanuel Malachi, recounted the heartbreaking incident: “It was around 6 pm after heavy rainfall when her friends came to my shop and told her that her SSCE results were out and that she performed excellently.

“After hearing the good news, Praise rushed home to check the results on her phone. While trying to cross a small river formed by severe erosion, she slipped and was swept away by the floodwaters.

“Her body was recovered the next day in Hunkuyi, far from where the incident happened,” he said.

Neighbours Danladi Mudi and Emma Yashi attributed the tragedy to worsening environmental conditions in the area.

“The erosion problem here has made the community prone to flooding whenever it rains,” Mudi noted.

Yashi added: “Praise was not the only child to die this way. Several lives have been lost to floods in the past.”

The Director of the Centre for Girls’ Education, Habiba Mohammed, described the deceased as one of the centre’s brightest beneficiaries.

“Praise was among our best students and had secured a scholarship to further her education. Her death is a huge loss. She was a wonderful child, never involved in any wrongdoing,” she said.

Mohammed urged authorities to urgently address the erosion menace and construct a bridge on the affected road to prevent further tragedies.

In recent times, Zaria has witnessed severe flooding, with Chikaji identified as one of the worst-hit areas. On August 27, 2024, a flood disaster damaged over 200 houses, destroyed parts of LEA Primary School, and washed away a section of Hayin Ojo Cemetery.