By Bayo Alabira
Dutse
Four underaged girls who attempted swimming across a pond in Sakwaya village in Dutse local government area of Jigawa state have drowned.
Spokesman of the state police command, Abdu Jinjiri, confirmed the incident in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Dutse, explaining that the deceased were residents of Sakwaya village.
He gave their names as Sumayya Gadi 7, Zuwaira Abdulhamidu 12, Gaji Saidu 12, and Ummi Saidu 11.
He said the deceased drowned in the pond after they tried to swim on their way to fetch firewood in nearby Farantawa illage of Albasu local government area of Kano state, noting that the incident was reported to the police by the relatives of the victims around 1:30 pm on Saturday, after they recovered their corpses.
He said the deceased were confirmed dead at a nearby hospital, stressing that the corpses had been buried according to Islamic rites and advised parents and guardians in the area to monitor movement of their children and wards in order to avoid such tragedy.
The spokesman also urged the public to assist distressed persons during emergencies.
