A 14-year-old girl, Elizabeth Peter, from Korokpa in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, has drowned in the Chanchaga River while fetching water.
Miss Peter was an SSS1 student of Saint Andrew Academy, Tunga Minna. Witnesses said she was at the river with her siblings when she was swept away while fetching water.
Her aunt, Abigail Idoko, said the teenager was at the river for the first time on Saturday. She had gone there with her siblings because the family could not find water vendors to buy from.
She said it took about two hours to recover her body from a deep pit in the river.
When our correspondent visited her bereaved family at Korokpa, her mother was in shock. Her father, Mr Peter, a soldier, was said to be in Zamfara State on official duty.
Korokpa, like many communities in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, has long struggled with access to clean water. Residents rely on water vendors, boreholes, or natural sources like the Chanchaga River to meet their daily needs.
However, with limited availability and rising water costs from vendors, many families resort to fetching water directly from the river despite the danger.
The Chanchaga River, a major water source for nearby communities, is notorious for drowning incidents. Deep pits within the river make it hazardous, especially for children and inexperienced swimmers.
Residents say fatalities occur almost every year, yet there has been little intervention to provide safer alternative water sources.
Miss Peter’s tragic death highlights the ongoing water crisis and the risks that residents, especially children, face in their daily struggle for access to clean water.
