Tragedy as Health Worker Drowns in Sokoto
A health worker attached to a malaria prevention programme has drowned in the Bafarawa River, in Isa Local Government of Sokoto State.
The deceased was said to be travelling with three other colleagues in a canoe to Bafarawa town on Tuesday, when it reportedly capsized.
The deceased (name withheld), and the three other rescued colleagues, were among the officials conducting the ongoing Seasonal Malaria Chemo-Prevention Programme.
The four-day exercise which ends on Sept. 2 was part of the efforts to reduce the scourge of malaria.
The Manager of the State Malaria Programme, Alhaji Aminu Umar, has confirmed the incident.
“ Four of the officials, including the deceased, were travelling in the ill-fated canoe.
“One of them had lost his life, while the remaining three were rescued.
“ They had since been discharged from the hospital, while the deceased had since been buried according to Islamic rites,” Umar said
Umar said that, he had since led a delegation to Isa town and condoled the families of the deceased, as well as the injured.
NAN recalls that, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday in Isa town, headquarters of Isa Local Government, flagged off the house-to-house campaign.
It is targeted at the administration of preventive drugs to estimated 1.8 million children.
Recently, four World Bank officials also drowned at Egbe Dam in Egbe Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Mrs Folasade Akinrinmola, the chairman of the council and the state police command confirmed this development to newsmen on Thursday.
Akinrinmola said that the incident which occurred on Wednesday’s night involved a team of seven contractors employed by the World Bank on an assessment mission to the dam.
She said that the team had commenced work from a section of the dam and moving to the other section when the incident happened.