Father, 15-Year-Old Daughter Die in Abandoned Kano Well During Rescue Attempt

A desperate attempt by a father to save his teenage daughter from an abandoned well in Kano State ended in heartbreak after both were found dead following an overnight rescue operation.

The tragic incident occurred in Yancibi Village, Tsanyawa Local Government Area, where 45-year-old Abubakar Abdullahi and his 15-year-old daughter, Fiddausi Abubakar, lost their lives after falling into an old dry well on Tuesday evening.

The Kano State Fire Service confirmed that its Tsanyawa Division received a distress call on July 21 and immediately mobilised firefighters to the scene. Rescue efforts, however, were hampered by darkness and the difficult terrain, making it impossible to complete the operation that night.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the agency’s Public Relations Officer, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, said an emergency rescue team was later dispatched from the Fire Service headquarters to reinforce the operation.

According to the statement, the combined rescue team eventually recovered both victims from the well. They were pulled out unconscious and were later confirmed dead.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Fiddausi accidentally fell into the abandoned well, prompting her father to climb in to rescue her. Unfortunately, he also became trapped and was unable to escape.

“The father attempted to rescue his daughter but was also unable to escape, resulting in the tragic loss of both lives,” the Fire Service stated.

The bodies of the deceased were handed over to the Village Head of Yancibi, Shamsu Sani, for burial in accordance with local customs.

Expressing sympathy to the bereaved family, the Kano State Fire Service urged residents to avoid entering wells without proper rescue equipment or trained emergency personnel, warning that such rescue attempts can quickly become fatal.