A pupil is missing after floodwater swept him away in Anambra State. The incident occurred on Tuesday along the Isiagu-Nibo-Awka link road in Awka South Local Government Area. Heavy rains flooded the Nibo Ring Road. A school bus, a shuttle bus and a tricycle were trapped. Children were aboard the school bus.
Anambra floods every rainy season. In 2012, flooding displaced thousands across the state. In 2022, similar floods hit Onitsha and Awka. In 2024, residents of Nibo and Isiagu complained about blocked drainage and poor road construction. The state government promised improvements. The same roads flooded again. The pattern is not weather alone. It is infrastructure that cannot drain.
Isiagu youths responded first. They waded into the water. Police Safe School operatives joined them. They used ropes to pull seven children and two adults to safety. Success Ezenwafor, a pupil of UNIZIK Primary School, was swept away. He remains missing. Police confirmed the rescues. They said searches have expanded with community help. Residents have been urged to avoid flooded roads and report any sightings of the boy.
The rescue was improvised. Youths formed human chains. They tied ropes to vehicles. They carried children on their backs. There was no boat. No coordinated emergency service arrived in the first minutes. That is the recurring story of flooding in Nigeria. Citizens become the first responders. The state arrives later.
The missing child is the tragedy. The rescues are the relief. Both happened because the road flooded and because no drainage system prevented it.
Winners: Isiagu youths, who saved nine lives. Police Safe School operatives, who assisted. The community, which mobilised quickly. Losers: Success Ezenwafor, who is missing. His family, who wait for news. UNIZIK Primary School, which lost a pupil. The state, whose drainage failed. Parents, who now fear sending their children to school in the rain.
Bottom Line: Youths rescued nine people with ropes. One child is still missing. Anambra floods every year. The roads still cannot drain. Until drainage is built and maintained, the next rescue will also be improvised.