Five children aged between 5 to 10 years, in a heartbreaking incident, suffocated to death inside an abandoned Honda Civic car in Minna, Niger State.
The unfortunate incident happened on Sunday in the Gurara Albishir area along Bida Road, where three siblings and two others accidentally locked themselves in the car for over five hours.
According to eyewitness Bala Usman, the children, playing in a nearby compound, entered the unused car, which had been parked for two years and got locked inside, despite their efforts to open it.
The Punch quoted Usman as saying, “They tried to open the car, but it refused to open and so they gave up trying. The car has been parked there for about two years by the owner.
“They may have mistakenly locked themselves up from around 11 am while the parents were searching for them, only to discover their dead bodies in the car around 4 pm after fruitlessly looking everywhere around the vicinity”
The victims, comprising four females and a male, included three siblings and two children from different families.
Sadly, the identity of the fifth victim remains unknown.
Chanchaga Local Government Area Chairman, Aminu Ladan, termed the incident unfortunate and visited the scene to offer condolences to the grieving families.
The Niger State Police Command PRO, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident and stated that the owner of the vehicle has been summoned for questioning as investigations continue.
