A tragic incident occurred on Saturday in Ogoloma community, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, when a 16-year-old boy lost his life after drowning in a river while swimming with friends.
The victim, identified as Miebaka Koko, was said to have gone swimming with three companions at Derock Waterside in Ogoloma when he was carried away by a strong current.
Eyewitnesses said the boy’s friends immediately left the water to seek assistance after noticing he was struggling.
Speaking with journalists, the Sector Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, linked the incident to the increased depth of the river resulting from dredging operations in the area.
Godswill stated, “Companies have dredged almost all the waterfront areas in Okrika Local Government Area. The dredging has made the river much deeper. Just a step away from the riverbank can be dangerously deep.”
Narrating how the incident unfolded, Godswill said, “At about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, four boys left the community and went to Derock Waterside in Ogoloma to swim.
“They entered the water, and shortly afterward, we saw the boys running out. A woman was also shouting for help. We rushed to the scene with another man and tried to rescue the boy. At one point, we could only see his hands above the water.
“However, the current was very strong, and the man who attempted to rescue him could not reach him. Unfortunately, the boy drowned. It is very painful.”
He explained that retrieving bodies from rivers in the area is often challenging and may take days.
“If you are from this part of Rivers State, you will know that when someone drowns in our rivers, it often takes two or three days before the body can be recovered,” he added.
Godswill also appealed to parents to educate their children about the dangers of swimming in unsafe areas and to monitor their whereabouts more closely.
“I advise parents to warn their children about where they swim. Most of our rivers have been dredged and are now very dangerous. Parents should also keep track of where their children go,” Godswill said.
The task force commander further revealed that security operatives, including a police officer and soldiers attached to Sector 3, witnessed the incident.
As of the time this report was filed, the body of the deceased had yet to be recovered.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, said that although the family had not formally reported the matter, the police were aware of the incident and had begun looking into it.
Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, stated, “Well, the family jas not made any report to the police. So we encourage them to do that for us to commence proper investigation and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
