Politics
Six children killed as lightning strikes family on Adamawa farm
A lightning strike during a heavy rainstorm has killed six children from the same family and left four others injured in Dadiri-Tirgali village, Garum District of Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
According to Daily Trust, the relatives confirmed that the tragedy occurred at about 4 p.m. on Sunday as the victims were harvesting groundnuts on their family farm. The victims sought refuge beneath a tree when a thunderstorm intensified and moments later, lightning struck the tree, killing six children instantly.
One of the survivors, Sa’adatu Isa, who had accompanied the children to the farm with her infant daughter, said she asked the children to gather under the tree and share the only umbrella she had when the rain became too heavy.
“We were just talking and waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly there was a loud sound. It was followed by a bright flash of light, like someone shining a very powerful torch at us. After that, I remembered nothing. We all collapsed. I only regained consciousness later after family members came to rescue us,” she said.
She described learning of the children’s deaths at the hospital as strange.
“This incident has taught me how short life is. I thank God for sparing my life and that of my daughter, and I pray that Allah grants the deceased children eternal rest,” she added.
The injured victims were rushed to the General Hospital in Ganye, where they are receiving treatment.
The deceased were identified as Abdulrahman Musa, 7; Aliyu Sule Maunde, 10; Jaafar Sule Maunde, 10; Bilkisu Jibrin Maunde, 20; Musa Ahmadu, 9; and Auwalu Nuhu, 11.
Those injured are Nasiru Abubakar, 7; Rilwanu Ahmadu, 9; Sa’adatu Isa, 35; and her one-year-three-month-old daughter, Hasiya Isa.
One of the grieving parents, Musa Maude, popularly known as ‘Soja’, said he had instructed the children to harvest groundnuts before the rain began but one of the survivors called around 4 p.m., informing him that lightning had struck the group and urging him to come immediately.
“I sent them to the farm that afternoon. While they were harvesting, the rain started falling heavily. When we got there, we found eight of them lying under the tree. A woman was lying nearby. She was unconscious at first, but later regained consciousness, and her baby, who was strapped to her back, started crying,” he said.
Maude said all 10 victims were rushed to the General Hospital in Ganye, where doctors confirmed that six of the children had died.
Another bereaved father, Suleiman Maude, who lost his two sons, Aliyu and Jaafar, described the incident as heartbreaking.
“I came back home because it was drizzling. Not long after, my elder brother called and told me that a thunderstorm had hit the farm and that our children had been affected. I rushed there immediately, but what I saw was heartbreaking. My two sons were among those lying lifeless on the ground,” he said.
Jibrilla Hamma, another father who lost a child, said he had seen the children earlier that day on their way to the farm.
“They joked with me and wanted to take my parked bicycle. I told them to continue to the farm and finish the work their father had assigned to them. After I returned home and observed my prayers, I received a distress call. I rushed back to the farm and found six children lying motionless,” he said.
Family members said the victims’ bodies were later taken home for burial after they were unable to deposit them at the hospital mortuary because the attendant was unavailable. They added that the six children were buried Monday morning at Wukari Ganye Quarters in accordance with Islamic rites.
Residents described the incident as one of the worst lightning-related disasters to hit the community in recent years, with sympathisers trooping in to console the bereaved families.
The Chairman of Ganye Local Government Area, Daniel Kamsobbi, confirmed the incident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
He said six children died instantly while four others sustained injuries, adding that a mother and her child had been treated and discharged while two victims remained on admission at the General Hospital, Ganye.
Kamsobbi said the council had directed the police and other security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
“We have asked the police and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the real cause of the tragedy, whether it was a natural phenomenon or caused by human activities, so that we can adopt the most effective approach in sensitising our people,” he said.
He added that if investigators identify any contributing human or environmental factors, the findings would be shared through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to improve public awareness across the state.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
