Residents of Alibiahiri in Minna Niger State were shocked to discover that five kids from three different families have died in an abandoned vehicle.
The incident happened on Sunday and it took five hours for the community members to locate the children who had been trapped in the Honda Civic saloon car that has been idle for two years.
According to reports the kids had gone into the vehicle that had its windows all rolled up at about 11.00 am and locked themselves in. Hours later their parents started looking for them only to discover their lifeless bodies in the car around 4.00pm.
Among the victims were three siblings who were the only children of their parents and two additional children from two separate families, including the proprietor of the vehicle.
The victims include 10-year-old Zahra, seven-year-old Aisha, five-year-old Fati, and seven-year-old Isah and the identity of the fifth victim remains unverified.
The chairman of Chanchaga local government area, Aminu Ladan visited the scene and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.
The chairman described the occurrence as unfortunate and called for caution from parents and guardians.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the incident in Minna on Monday said the matter was reported at Kpakungu Division.
According to the PPRO, the children were found in the Honda Civic with Reg No. GO 778 ABC at Albishiri area of Minna.
“They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle, while their bodies were later removed by the various parents, as Police visited the scene”, he said.
He said that the owner of the vehicle has been invited for questioning, adding that investigation is ongoing
