12-YEAR-OLD GIRL SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD IN UMUAHIA, SEARCH ONGOING

Residents Condemn Sending Underage Maids On Errands During Heavy Rain

UMUAHIA, Abia State – A 12-year-old girl, simply identified as Ella, from Ohafia was reportedly swept away by floodwaters on Monday evening at Agbama, Umuahia, after slipping into a gutter during heavy rainfall.

The incident occurred around 7:00pm along Express Road, according to eyewitnesses and residents who joined the search.

Sources said Ella had been sent out with an umbrella by the woman she lives with, to buy something at Express Road despite the downpour.

She had reportedly completed the errand and was returning home when her feet slipped and she was swept into a gutter by erosion.

As of 10:56pm, family members, concerned residents and mobilised youths were still searching for the girl. The search had extended to Umuafai, according to eyewitness accounts.

“My sister, myself and other concerned people have been under the rain since 7pm, searching and hoping to at least find her body,” a resident said.

The residents said they managed to trace the woman Ella stays with and her daughter-in-law. However, the woman has since returned home while the search continued.

Allegations also surfaced that the woman has allegedly mistreated other underage girls who stayed with her in the past. Sources mentioned a teen girl named Uwaoma, and said another girl reportedly left not long ago before Ella was brought in.

“Please, stop giving your underage children out as maids. Ella is only 12. An innocent child is nowhere to be found tonight,” one of the searchers lamented in a Facebook post.  

“But this woman has already gone back home like nothing happened, leaving us to do her job.”

As of the time of filing this report, Ella had not been found.

Residents have called on relevant authorities and security agencies to intervene, and urged parents and guardians to desist from sending underage children on hazardous errands, especially during dangerous weather conditions.

The Abia State Police Command and relevant agencies are yet to issue an official statement on the incident as at press time.