A man is feared drowned after jumping into a river following an altercation at Asa Bridge along Emir’s Road in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, with firefighters commencing a search operation to locate him.
The Kwara State Fire Service disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, adding that a distress call was received and its personnel arrived at the scene at 10:15 am.
According to the statement, an altercation reportedly occurred between two adults, during which one person sustained an injury.
It added that a man identified as Abubakar subsequently ran towards the river and jumped in, while another man identified as Nasiru, 42, who had attempted to intervene, also entered the water and was reported to have drowned.
“Upon receiving the report, our firefighters immediately commenced an intensive search and rescue operation,” the statement read.
The fire service said the operation continued for several hours but had yet to produce the desired result as of the time of the statement.
“As of the time of this press release, the search operation remains ongoing, with the Kwara State Fire Service continuing its efforts to locate the missing man,” the statement added.
The Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, was present at the scene to provide leadership and oversee the rescue operation.
Muhammed urged residents to avoid entering rivers or other bodies of water during confrontations or emergencies, advising them to prioritise their safety and contact emergency response agencies for assistance.
He also called on residents to remain calm during disputes and allow trained emergency responders to handle dangerous situations.
The latest incident adds to cases of deaths involving water bodies in Ilorin, following the discovery in September of the body of a 52-year-old man, Alaba Ayeni, inside a domestic well in the Kwara State capital.
Following the recovery, Ayeni’s body was handed over to the police for further action.