TWO minors between the ages 13 and 15 have been found dead in a river at Egudu Baale, Idi-Oke community in Igbesa, Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The teenagers, identified as Malik Abdulganiyu and Hawal Akande, were found dead with their bodies floating in a river on Friday, August 30, after they were reported to be missing.

The Ogun State Police Command public relations officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed this to The ICIR on Saturday, stating that the teenagers had reportedly left their home on Olaigbe Street in Egudu Baale on Wednesday morning to go to work at the Salvation Army, located within the same community.

“On August 8, 2024, at approximately 1:30 a.m., the mothers of Abdulganiyu and Akande, aged 15 and 13, respectively, reported that their children had not returned home from work on Thursday.

“The corpses were discovered floating in a river not far from their home. Police detectives visited the scene and conducted a thorough examination of the bodies, but found no signs of an attack.

“The bereaved family demanded the release of the corpses, arguing that they wanted to bury them according to Islamic rites,” she added.

Cases of people drowning are common in Nigeria, especially during the rainy season.

In June, The ICIR reported that six students drowned in the Mbang River in Ribang village, Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, while returning from a Junior West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam.

The casualties were students of the Government Secondary School Fadan Chawaiwere.

The national public relations officer of the Ribang Development Association, Simon Ishaku, said that the river had been a death trap for people while pleading with the government to build a bridge for the community.

“The Mbang River has been a death trap for our people over the years,” he stated, noting that before the community could access any school or hospital facility, they would travel for about eight kilometres.