Girl 23, drowns in Onitsha

The Nwoko family in Onitsha was thrown into wailing over the drowning of a 23-year old Miss. Nwoko who was a member of the family.

The girl was said to have left her shop with some friends making her way home when the incident occurred.

Our source said that the girl and two of her friends had ran into a shop to avoid being drenched by rain, but a few minutes after their arrival to the shop, the owner asked them to leave as he was about to close for the day.

However, as they left, it started raining heavily and they took shelter in a shop within Ochanja market roundabout.

Few minutes after arrival, the owner of that shop told them to leave his shop as he was about closing for the day as it was getting late.

As Miss Nwoko, was about crossing the plank used as bridge between the shop and the pedestrian road, she fall into the deep gutter that was full to capacity because of the heavy downpour and got drowned immediately.

The shop owner was said to have quickly locked up the shop and ran away to avoid being mobbed by the people.

The Guardian gathered that the body of the girl was recovered and taken to Borromeo Catholic Mission Hospital mortuary.

Speaking to newsmen, the father of the girl Mr. Ndubuisi Nwoko blamed the incident on the owner of the shop who asked the girls to leave his shop while it was still raining.

He said he had reported the matter to Fegge police station, adding that he had gone to the mortuary with the police who took photographs of the deceased.

Nwoko said that before the girl’s death, she was into buying and selling while she waited for admission into the university.

Confirming the incident, the Fegge Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Garba Rabiu said: “we are looking for the man, he has not been seen since the incident happened”.

Meanwhile friends and neighbours of the run-away trader who went to plead with the father of the girl met a brickwall as he insisted on seeing the suspect.