The deceased were named as Musa Musa Bawa, 27, a 200-level nursing student at the College of Nursing, Tudun Wada, and Abubakar Ibrahim Muhammad Likoro, 25, who worked at Olam Flour Mills, Kaduna.

Authorities say the search will continue until the victims are found.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), the Kaduna State Fire Service and other emergency responders, on Sunday intensified the search for two persons who were swept away while attempting to cross a river following heavy rainfall in Kaduna.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening after a downpour inundated parts of the Kaduna metropolis.

According to NEMA, the agency’s Operations Office in Kaduna activated its emergency response team immediately after receiving a distress call. Personnel were deployed alongside officials of KADSEMA, the State Fire Service and local divers to Hayin Mallam Bello Community in Kaduna South Local Government Area, where the search operation commenced in the early hours of Sunday.

The victims were identified as Musa Musa Bawa, 27, a 200-level student of the College of Nursing, Tudun Wada, and Abubakar Ibrahim Muhammad Likoro, 25, an employee of Olam Flour Mills, Kaduna.

Despite several hours of coordinated search efforts by emergency responders and local volunteers, the victims had not been found as of the time this report was filed.

Speaking at the scene, the Head of NEMA Operations Office, Kaduna, Halima Suleiman, assured residents that the search operation would continue until the missing persons were located.

She reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with other emergency response organisations to sustain the operation until its objective was achieved. Suleiman also commended the dedication, professionalism and resilience of emergency personnel and local volunteers participating in the rescue mission.

The NEMA official later visited the families of the missing persons, where she expressed sympathy and encouraged them to remain hopeful as the search continued. She appealed to residents to cooperate with emergency responders and warned against attempting to cross flooded rivers, streams and drainage channels during and after heavy rainfall.

Suleiman added that NEMA would continue to intensify public awareness campaigns on flood safety and urged residents to promptly report emergencies to the appropriate authorities to facilitate timely response.