Nine Corps Members Drown in Taraba

Nine National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members at the weekend were drown in a river in Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State while on picnic.

The incident is coming barely 24 hours after the NYSC Director General, Maj. Gen. Zachare Kazaure, visited the NYSC orientation camp in the state where he addressed the 2018 Batch B corps members. 

It was gathered that the corps members had gone to the river side for a picnic when suddenly the river overflown due to heavy rainfall in nearby communities and submerged them.

Seven bodies have so far been recovered, while efforts are being made to recover the remaining two bodies as at the time of filling the report.

The seven recovered bodies, whose identities were withheld, comprised two males and two females who are reported to be indigenes of Delta, Edo, Imo and Enugu States.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, David Modal, stated that "information available to our disposal reveals that 22 youth corps members serving in the state were on a picnic in River Mayo-Selbe in Gashaka LGA last Saturday when the incident happened.

"We were made to understand that while they were swimming, there was a sudden increase in the volume of water which swept nine of  them away. Seven corpses have been recovered so far while the search for the two remaining corpses is still in progress."

The Taraba State Coordinator of NYSC, Florence Yaakugh, who resumed work in the state few months back, described the incident as shocking and one of the darkest days of her career.

She, however, disclosed that everything is being done to recover the remaining five bodies still trapped in the river.

Meanwhile, the Lamido of Gashaka, Alhaji Zubeiru Hamman Gabdo, has expressed deep shock over the incident, describing it as a monumental loss to the country.

He, however, prayed God to grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss as well as for the repose of their souls.