Three Children Drown in Abandoned Fish Pond in Delta Community

Three children aged six, eight and 12 have drowned in an abandoned fish pond in Saniko Community, Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The victims were identified as Great Anthony Ikpera, six; Goodluck Anthony Ikpera, eight; and Vwegba Jite Ikpera, 12. They were members of the Ikpera family from Awirhe Community, also in Agbarha-Otor.

The incident reportedly came to light after the children were declared missing by their parents on Saturday, prompting a search that continued into Sunday morning.

The President of the Agbarha Youth Council, Rufus Ovotu, and a family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the children’s bodies were found floating in the abandoned fish pond on Sunday morning.

The pond is located beside a flowing stream behind the community. However, the circumstances surrounding how the children entered the pond had not been independently established at the time of filing this report.

The sources said the bodies were recovered and buried beside the stream. The incident has plunged the community into mourning, with sympathisers visiting the bereaved family to offer their condolences.

Reacting to the tragedy, Ovotu urged parents to pay close attention to their children’s movements and ensure they stay away from streams, ponds and other potentially dangerous water bodies.

He also warned that extra caution was necessary while water levels remained high, stressing the importance of preventing children from accessing unsafe areas.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Delta State Police Command were unsuccessful. Calls to the command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, were not answered, while a WhatsApp message sent to him had yet to receive a response as of the time of filing this report.