Niger State Police Command has confirmed the death of five children following suffocation after they mistakenly locked themselves inside an abandoned vehicle for hours in Gurara Albishir, suburb of Minna, the state capital, on Sunday.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in Minna, the state capital.
The bodies of the children, aged five to thirteen, were discovered in the abandoned car.
It was learnt that the parents of the children were searching for them from 11am until they were found dead around 4pm.
An eyewitness from the area, Mallam Muhammed, said, “This tragic incident came to us as a rude shock. Imagine losing five children within few hours! It is painful. They got locked up while playing in the car without knowing and nobody knew they were there for hours.
“May Allah grant us especially the families the fortitude to bear this painful and sad loss. We never expected this.
“The five deceased children comprised of four girls and a boy. Three of them were from one family and the only three belonging to their parents. The other two were children of two different family that include the owner of the abandoned car.”
It was gather that the vehicle had been abandoned by the owner for about two years.
Confirming the incident, the police spokespsrson said the matter was reported at Kpakungu Division.
He went further that the children were found in the Honda Civic with Reg No. GO 778 ABC at Albishiri area of Minna.
“They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle, while their bodies were later removed by the various parents, as Police visited the scene”, he said.
Abiodun said the owner of the vehicle has been invited for questioning, as the unfortunate incident is under investigation.
