It was a tragic scene when a 16-year-old boy drowned in a river while swimming with friends in the Ogoloma community in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday.
The deceased, Miebaka Koko, was said to have gone swimming with three of his friends at Derock Waterside in Ogoloma when he was suddenly swept away by a strong current.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim’s friends were said to have quickly run out of the water to seek help after realising that he was in distress.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the Sector Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, attributed the incident to the increased depth of the river caused by dredging activities in the area.
Godswill stated, “Companies have dredged almost all the waterfront areas in the Okrika Local Government Area. The dredging has made the river much deeper. Just a step away from the riverbank can be dangerously deep.”
