An 18-year-old boy, Salim Aminu, drowned in a flooded culvert while attempting to retrieve a friend’s shoe that had been swept away during a heavy downpour in Gombe State.
The incident occurred on Sunday night June 29, 2025 in the Awara B area of Gombe metropolis.
Salim, a shop assistant at Habib Provision Store, had just closed for the day and was heading home around 8 p.m. when the tragedy happened.
Witnesses said the teenager entered a flooded culvert connecting to a deep valley in the nearby Kurba community, ignoring pleas from bystanders and his friend to stay back.
“He kept following the shoe despite people asking him to stop. Even the friend whose shoe got lost called him to come back,” the victim’s father, Aminu Muhammad, told WikkiTimes.
“The waves became too strong for him to maneuver. At one point, he held onto a solar pole but slipped away. The people around could not rescue him as the water dragged him furiously.”
Muhammad said Salim’s corpse was later found in a valley in Kurba after being carried away by the floodwaters. He described his son as “vibrant and responsible,” adding that the family had accepted the loss as the will of Allah.
“Salim has left a huge vacuum in our hearts. He was always willing to assist others, and that has resulted in his untimely demise,” he said. “I urge parents to be vigilant with their children, especially during the rainy season.”
A close friend of the deceased, Salisu Bashir, said Salim was deeply committed to his faith and friendships.
“He was very friendly and supportive. Salim will always be missed. My last moment with him was earlier that day when he asked me to perform ablution so we could pray together,” he said.
