A routine Saturday morning chore turned tragic in the Ikoyi community of Irewolede, Ilorin West Local Government Area, as a 12-year-old girl, identified as Nabilat, lost her life after falling into a domestic well.
The incident occurred at about 10:35am when the young girl reportedly went to fetch water. According to eyewitnesses, she slipped while attempting to draw water and plunged into the well.
The Kwara State Fire Service confirmed the development in a statement released on Sunday by its spokesperson, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle.
The service said it received a distress call from a resident identified as Mayowa, who witnessed the fall and immediately sought help.
Firefighters were dispatched to the location and were able to recover the girl’s body, which was later handed over to a member of her family.
“According to the report, the victim went to fetch water and in the process, one of her legs slipped off the ground, which made her tumble into the well,” the statement noted.
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Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, described the incident as heartbreaking.
He urged parents and guardians to refrain from sending young children to fetch water from wells, emphasising that such tasks expose minors to needless risks.
“The general public must be more careful in their day-to-day activities, and parents should desist from sending underage children to fetch water in domestic wells,” he cautioned.
The tragedy has reignited conversations about the safety of domestic wells, which many households in Ilorin rely on, especially during periods of irregular water supply.