An eight-year-old girl, Siyama Idris, has died after accidentally falling onto an exposed iron rod at a road and drainage construction site in the Tudun Wada area of Nassarawa Local Government Area in Kano State.
An eyewitness, Abdulrashid Yusuf, said the tragic incident happened on Saturday near Tudun Wada Primary School, where road reconstruction and drainage expansion work is currently ongoing.
Yusuf told a local newspaper, Solacebase, that the girl had been sent to a nearby shop to buy something for iftar when the accident occurred.
“The girl, Siyama Idris, was sent to buy something at a shop for iftar,” Yusuf said.
According to him, residents usually cross the drainage under construction using a temporary wooden plank because there is no proper pedestrian bridge.
“To cross the drainage, people normally use a gadar katako, which is just a wooden plank placed across the drainage,” he added.
He said the child lost her balance while trying to cross near the construction area and fell onto an exposed iron rod used in the drainage structure.
“The iron rod was not covered. When she fell, it penetrated her stomach,” Yusuf said.
He added that the girl died instantly at the scene before she could be taken to hospital.
Residents of the area blamed the tragedy on poor safety measures at the construction site.
They said uncovered iron rods and open drainage edges pose a serious danger to pedestrians, especially children.
The incident came only days after another accident involving a teenager in the state.
On Friday, a boy identified as Ibrahim Umar, believed to be about 15 years old, reportedly fell into a drainage along Badawa Road, off Lamido Crescent, shortly after Juma’at prayers.
Umar suffered injuries and had to break his fast before he was rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment.
Following the latest incident, residents have urged government authorities and contractors handling road and drainage projects to improve safety at construction sites.
They called for exposed iron rods to be properly covered and for safe pedestrian crossings to be provided in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
