Body Of Missing UNIZIK Primary School Pupil, Success Ezenwafor, Swept Away By Flood In Awka Recovered | Sahara Reporters
Nworah said Prince Chinedu Okafor, Mayor of Awka South Local Government Area, confirmed that the child’s body had been found.
The body of Success Ezenwafor, a pupil of UNIZIK Primary School, Awka, Anambra State, who was swept away by floodwaters on Tuesday, has been recovered.
The sad development was announced on Wednesday by Dr. Uche Nworah, a former Special Adviser on General Duties to the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, in a post on Facebook.
Nworah said Prince Chinedu Okafor, Mayor of Awka South Local Government Area, confirmed that the child’s body had been found.
“The body of the missing child, Success Ezenwafor has been recovered. The other children are in stable condition and receiving medical treatment at the hospital. I am at Amaku Teaching Hospital at the moment,” Okafor was quoted as saying.
Success was reportedly swept away on Tuesday morning along the Awka–Nibo–Nise–Enugwu-Ukwu Ring Road while travelling in a shuttle bus with other schoolchildren.
SaharaReporters had reported that nine people, including seven schoolchildren and two adults, were rescued following the flood incident along the Nibo–Isiagu Road in Awka.
The Anambra State Police Command had said one child remained unaccounted for and that sustained search and rescue operations had been launched in collaboration with community members and other relevant stakeholders.
The command’s Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, had directed that the search continue until the missing child was found.
In his Wednesday update, Nworah said two other children from the Ezenwafor family who were involved in the incident were rescued and were receiving treatment.
He also shared details of the family’s grief, saying Success’ father vividly remembered his final moments with his son before he left for school on Tuesday.
According to Nworah, Success kissed his father on both cheeks, said goodbye and boarded the school shuttle.
He described the child as a brave boy, adding that Success reportedly broke one of the vehicle’s windows, creating an escape route through which some of the other occupants were able to get out.
“Sadly, he could not make it to safety himself,” Nworah said.
The development has left the Ezenwafor family devastated, with Nworah saying a member of the family described them as “understandably distraught” following the recovery of the child’s body.
The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of Awka and surrounding communities, prompting rescue efforts by security personnel, residents and other emergency responders.
Nworah expressed condolences to the family and prayed for strength for them as they mourn the loss of the child.