Three underage siblings and two other children reportedly suffocated to death after they had locked themselves inside an abandoned car.
One of the unfortunate victims of the incident was said to be a child of the owner of the abandoned vehicle; while the fifth child belonged in another family.
The incident happened last Sunday in Gurara Albishir, along Bida Road in Minna, Niger State.
According to reports, the children were playing in a spacious compound where a Honda Civic car had been abandoned for over two years. They reportedly entered the car and closed the doors. Unfortunately, they were unable to open the doors again despite their efforts.
An eyewitness said parents of the deceased children started looking for them around 11AM, but it was around 5PM that they located their bodies in the vehicle.
The victims included four girls and one boy, with three of them being siblings and their parents’ only children.
The two other victims were from separate families, including the owner of the car.
The identified victims were Zahra (age 10), Aisha (age 7), Fati (age 5), and Isah (age 7). The identity of the fifth child was not provided.
The chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area, Aminu Ladan, has expressed his condolences to the grieving parents and described the incident as “deeply unfortunate and tragic.”
Speaking on the incident, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesperson for Niger State Police Command, stated that the matter was reported to the Kpakungu Division.
According to the PPRO, “The children were discovered inside the Honda Civic vehicle with registration number GO 778 ABC in the Albishiri area of Minna.
“Sadly, they had suffocated within the confined space. The parents of the victims were present when the police arrived at the scene.
“The bodies of the children were removed and the owner of the vehicle has been summoned for questioning.”
