A second-year Chemical Engineering student at the Federal University, Otuoke, located in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has reportedly drowned in the Ikoli Creek River in Yenagoa.
The deceased identified as Miracle Ekene drowned on Sunday after betting with some individuals that he could swim across the Ikoli River but midway through, he submerged and did not reappear.
After hours of searching, it was learned that local divers had found his body in the ocean. Local residents reported that the man drowned and never came up again while trying to swim across the river.
One of the residents said “On Sunday morning, a 200-level Chemical Engineering student made a bet with his coursemates to swim across the river.”
“They all raised N300 each for the stake. As he was swimming, he dipped and was not seen immediately until his dead body was recovered Monday evening,”
On Monday night, almost twenty-four hours after the student vanished, his remains were recovered from the river. Grieving university students honoured him with a candlelight march.
Mercy Ekott, the university's public relations officer, told reporters about the unfortunate incident on Tuesday.However, she could not give further information on it as she was not authorised to speak on it.
She said: “Yes it’s true, but I cannot give further details because I’m not authorized to speak on the matter.”
When contacted on the incident on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Musa Mohammed, said investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
“The deceased had gone to the river with a friend to bathe. Unfortunately, in the process, he jumped into the water and drowned.
“We urge students, especially young people, to exercise caution around rivers, whether they know how to swim or not,” he said.
Drowning incidences are reportedly on the rise in the state; recall that on Christmas Day, a young child drowned in the swimming pool at the well-known Aridolf Hotel on the Isaac Boro Expressway in the state capital, Yenagoa.
The deceased as gathered and other children went there to celebrate and decided to spend time in the swimming pool.
An eyewitness said there were many children in the swimming pool and that it was difficult to ascertain what led to the drowning of the boy.
The identity of the boy could not also be determined, but another boy who would have suffered a similar fate was resuscitated. The eyewitness also stated that it was impossible to identify the deceased's parents or guardians.
The development sparked intense conversations on the necessity of ensuring safety in such locations on social media platforms.
