Children Die in Kaduna Pit Latrine Over N1,000 Phone Retrieval Reward
Three children have died after entering a pit latrine in an attempt to retrieve a mobile phone in Tudun Kusa village, Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday after a resident reportedly offered N1,000 to anyone who could recover his Android phone from the pit.
The victims, identified as Najjashi, Mohammed and Ashafa, were aged between 12 and 15. They reportedly entered the latrine one after another but never made it out alive.
The councillor representing the area, Hashimu Muhammad, told DAILY POST that the children came from different families.
According to him, Najjashi, the youngest of the children, entered the pit first after hearing about the promised reward.
However, when he failed to respond, 13-year-old Mohammed, who had witnessed him going inside, entered the pit to find out what had happened.
When Mohammed also stopped responding, their 15-year-old friend, Ashafa, became distressed and insisted on going inside despite attempts to stop him.
Muhammad explained that Ashafa was eventually allowed to enter, but he equally failed to return to the surface.
The councillor disclosed that the pit was originally a well which had dried up before being converted into a latrine.
In a desperate attempt to determine what was happening inside, residents reportedly lowered a chicken into the pit following a suggestion from an elderly community member. The bird also died.
The bodies of the children were eventually recovered with the aid of a hook and subsequently buried according to Islamic rites.
The pit latrine has since been sealed off following the incident.
Residents described the deaths as an unprecedented tragedy that has left Tudun Kusa in deep mourning.
A three-day mourning period has also commenced in the community as families and neighbours struggle to come to terms with the loss.
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