The body of seven-year-old Mohammed Ashraff, who was swept away by floodwaters in Emiliman Nassara, Nasarafu Ward 2 of Bida Local Government Area, Niger State, has been recovered after a three-day search.
His remains were found on Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Batavovogi, near the FM Radio Station in Bida.
The tragic incident followed a torrential downpour on Thursday, June 26, which lasted two hours between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Mohammed had been sent on an errand by his father shortly after the rain subsided when he was caught in the flood.
Confirming the recovery, the boy’s father, Mohammed Usman, expressed deep sorrow over the growing impact of flooding in the area, which has also led to the destruction of homes, a bridge, a culvert, and several businesses.
According to him, “Since we missed the boy on Thursday, all efforts to recover his corpse had failed, but we were not discouraged as the search and rescue efforts continued. We also expanded the number of volunteers on the search, and fortunately, on Saturday, June 28, 2025, we recovered his body at a stream within Bida, Alhamdulillah.”
He appealed to the Niger State Government to expedite construction work on the one-kilometre Man Musa Kodogi-Nasarafu Road, which was awarded to Arab Contractors, to address the recurring challenges faced by residents of the area.
“We are calling on Governor Bago to, as a matter of urgency, mobilise the contractor to the site to prevent more disasters to our community,” he pleaded.
Usman, however, expressed gratitude to the media for giving the incident wide coverage.
The deceased was laid to rest according to Islamic rites at about 2:30 pm on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
