A pupil is missing after a flood swept through a section of the Nibo–Isiagu Road in the Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, prompting the police to begin a search operation for the child.
Nine people made up of seven schoolchildren and two adults were rescued from the flooded route after heavy rainfall hit parts of the state between Monday and Tuesday.
The incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday, when the victims, who were travelling along the route, were trapped by the flood.
The spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, made this known in a statement on Tuesday, stating that the rescue operation was conducted by the command’s Safe School Operatives together with members of the affected community.
According to him, the operatives quickly mobilized to the scene after receiving information about the incident and managed to move seven schoolchildren and two adults to safety.
Ikenga, however, said another child caught up in the incident was still unaccounted for as of Tuesday, which led the command to launch sustained search and rescue operations.
He said the search was being carried out alongside community members and relevant stakeholders and would continue until the missing child was found.
The statement partly read, “The Anambra State Police Command, through its Safe School Operatives, in collaboration with concerned members of the community, has rescued nine persons following a flood incident along the Nibo–Isiagu Road, Awka.
“The incident occurred in the early hours of today, September 22, 2026, when some school children and adults were caught up in the flood while travelling along the affected route.
“However, one additional child involved in the incident is still unaccounted for. The command has consequently activated sustained search and rescue operations in the affected area.”
In the meantime, the state Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Ama, ordered that the search operation be kept up and widened until the missing child was found.
Ama also called on residents, especially those living or working along the affected route, to give the police and other responding agencies any information that might help in the search.
The CP encouraged parents, guardians, school authorities, and motorists to be extremely careful around flooded roads, bridges, and waterways when rainfall is heavy.
He specifically advised parents and guardians to make sure that children did not try to cross flooded or otherwise dangerous routes.
The command stated that it would keep strengthening its collaboration with communities and relevant agencies under the Safe School Initiative in order to prevent avoidable loss of lives during emergencies.
