How three children from same family kpai as water carry dem away for Abuja

Ogbonge tragedy bin hapun for di Kuje area of Abuja, Nigeria capital, wia three children from di same family bin kpai as river carry dem away wen dem bin dey play.

Di children papa, Architect Aliyu Abubakar, tell di BBC say dis sad event happun as Nigeria dey celebrate dia 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday, October 1, wey also be public holiday wen children no dey go school.

Di three children na from di same mama and papa, born afta each oda: Maryam wey dey 12 years old, Umaru - 10 years, and Hanifa - eight years. Dem also get dia younger brother wey no follow dey affected for di incident.

Tori be say na one of di siblings di river bin first carry as e wan cross, but di two oda siblings bin wan try to rescue am but sadly, di water carry all of dem go.

How di incident hapun

Oga Aliyu Abubakar wey be di papa of di deceased children tell BBC Hausa say im children bin dey play wit some of di children for di area sake of say school no dey dat day.

"Dia mama bin first no allow dem to go outside, but as dem keep begging and insisting say dem wan gou outside. E later send dem to go buy Kunun Aya (tigernut drink) for Freedom Estate. Na den di children waka towards di river wey dey for di bak of di estate," di papa tok.

E explain say na di youngest child first waka enta di shallow part of di river to play, but di current bin dey strong sake of heavy rain wey bin fall di previous day.

"Di odas dey play nearby and dem no follow enta di river. Suddenly, her brother notice say e be like say she don dey drown. E jump inside and grab her, but di current also carry am go."

"My eldest daughter wey bin dey a bit far from di river, wen she too see say di water dey carry dem go, she run ova and enta di river to try to rescue di two children. But, as God want am, di river carry all of dem," oga Aliyu Abubakar tok.

Efforts to recova dia bodi

Di bereaved father also narrate to di BBC News Hausa how one elderly man wey dey close by bin try to rescue di children shortly afta di water bin carry dem.

"E get one man wey bin dey do exercise close by wey bin try to help. E even try to grab di hand of di last girl, but bicos e no sabi swim and also na elderly man, e eventually let go of im hand.

"E den start to call for help but by di time pipo go gada for dia di water don already carry di children go," e tok.

Oga Aliyu tok say dem start to dey search for di children with sticks and planks and tree branches, and even pipo wey fit swim also join, but by midnight of di day wey di incident happun, dem no find dia bodi.

Di next day, di search continue wit some fishermen wey come join dem as dem search from Kuje to Gwagwalada.

"Na around 5 p.m. dat day na im we see di bodi of di youngest child, na im we first find. Den, two days later, we find di bodi of di eldest girl for Payi, afta Kwali, for Niger State.

"As for di boy, God neva still show us Umaru bodi, even afta more dan seven days," Aliyu tok wit so much sorrow.

'Maryam bin memorise di Holy Qur'an'

Oga Aliyu Abubakar tok say im and im children bin dey very close and say di eldest daughter bin dey very intelligent.

"Maryam bin just return from Kano wia she bin complete memorizing di Holy Qur'an. As she come back back her siblings bin dey very happy and dem bin dey snap picture dey enjoy diasef.

"We dey veri close to dis children. Wen I hear di news of dia death, I cry and cry. But na Allah wey give dem to us, na im be di one wey don also take dem back.

"Wen e give dem to us, we bin no know dem. E bin no consult us. So also, now wey e don take back wetin belong to am, at di time wen e waht, e no need to consult us.

"Indeed, we dey grateful to Allah for giving us di opportunity to born dem and to raise and nurture dem up to this point," Aliyu Abubakar tok.