Governor Aminu Tambuwal, has ordered the recovery of corpses of five people that drowned in River Zalzalu along Sokoto-Illela road as a result of an auto crash on Thursday, last week.
Tambuwal also condoled the families of the deceased, praying to God to grant them Aljanna Firdaus.
The victims were identified as Shuaibu Mai Maciji Isa, a snake charmer, along with his two apprentices, Mubarak Aminu, the driver of the vehicle and the motorcyclist who is yet to be identified.
Tambuwal who was on his way to condole the people of Wurno the day the accident involving a motorcycle and a white Toyota car ocurred, had braved the rain as his convoy crossed the bridge to inquire about what happened.
Having been briefed he instructed the state Ministry of Home of Affairs to take charge of the recovery effort. Promptly, all relevant agencies – the state and federal Fire Service, the state emergency management agency, the Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps, as well as some expert divers from neighbouring Kebbi state were mobilized to the scene.
The team worked all night and succeeded on the first day in bringing out the cadaver of one victim.
The following day, two more bodies were found, just as an equal number of bodies were recovered on the third day. All the bodies were deposited at the Sokoto State Specialist Hospital and Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, UDUTH.
The car and motorcycle involved in the accident are yet to be recovered.
After the recovery effort, the state ministry of justice, upon the directive of the governor, conducted an inquest into the incident. This led to the identification of some of the victims by their relatives who hail from Acida in Wurno local government area of the state; and, their subsequent burial according to Islamic rites.
