By Deborah Nnamdi
A 45-year-old man, Yusuf Usman, has died after becoming trapped inside a well while attempting to retrieve a mobile phone in Kwa Town, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday morning and was reported to the Kano State Fire Service at about 11:13 a.m.
In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the service, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, the agency said it received a distress call from one of its personnel, Kabiru Tata, who alerted the headquarters about the emergency.
Following the report, firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene, where they discovered that the victim had become trapped inside a well that had been converted into a refuse disposal pit.
According to the statement, Usman had entered the well in an attempt to recover a mobile phone that had fallen inside but was unable to find his way out.
Rescue personnel later succeeded in bringing him out of the well, but he was found unconscious.
“He was later confirmed dead, reportedly due to oxygen depletion and excessive heat inside the well,” the statement said.
The remains of the deceased were subsequently handed over to the Ward Head of Kwa Town, Alhaji Muktar, for burial arrangements.
Preliminary investigations by the Fire Service indicated that the incident occurred while the victim was trying to retrieve his phone from the abandoned well.
Reacting to the tragedy, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged residents to exercise caution around wells and other confined spaces.
He stressed the need for communities to properly cover wells and ensure that abandoned ones are filled to prevent avoidable accidents and loss of lives.
“We appeal to residents, especially parents and community leaders, to ensure that wells are properly secured to avoid similar incidents,” Anas said.
