Anambra Flooding: One Schoolchild Missing as Police Rescue Nine Victims

By Tony Okafor, Awka

One schoolchild is missing after a flood incident along the Nibo–Isiagu Road in Awka, Anambra State, on Tuesday while nine other persons, including seven schoolchildren and two adults, have been rescued.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, when the schoolchildren and adults were caught in the flood while travelling along the affected route.

The Anambra State Police Command said its Safe School Operatives, working with concerned members of the community, swiftly mobilised to the scene after receiving information about the incident and rescued the nine victims to safety.

However, one other child involved in the incident remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday, prompting the police to activate a sustained search and rescue operation in the area.

Reacting to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga said an operation being conducted in collaboration with community members and relevant stakeholders would continue until the missing child is found.

The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, has directed that the search operation be sustained and expanded.

He also appealed to residents, particularly those living or operating around the affected route, to provide the police and other responding agencies with any information that could assist in locating the missing child.

The command urged parents, guardians, school authorities and motorists to exercise extreme caution around flooded roads, bridges and waterways, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.

It also advised parents and guardians to ensure that children do not attempt to cross flooded or otherwise dangerous routes.

The command said it remained committed to protecting schoolchildren and would continue to strengthen collaboration with communities and relevant agencies under the Safe School Initiative to prevent avoidable loss of lives during emergencies.

Flooding has in recent times caused havoc in Awka and its environs, prompting residents to call on the state government to find a lasting solution to the menace, with many blaming the buildup of structures along natural waterways as a major cause.

However, the state Commissioner for Information and Value Orientation, Dr Law Mefor, attributed the menace to climate change.

He said, “Ask climate change about flooding. Even Abuja, Lagos and New York are not spared.”