Six children have been killed and four other people injured after lightning struck a group of farmers harvesting groundnuts in Dadiri-Tirgali village, Garum District, Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The incident occurred on Sunday during a heavy rainfall, leaving the farming community in shock and mourning.
Residents said the victims were working on a farmland when the lightning suddenly struck, killing six people instantly. The injured victims were later taken to the General Hospital, Ganye, where they are receiving treatment.
The deceased were identified as Abdulrahman Musa, 7; Aliyu Sule Maunde, 10; Jaafar Sule Maunde, 10; Bilkisu Jibrin Maunde, 20; Musa Ahmadu, 9; and Auwalu Nuhu, 11.
Those injured in the incident are Nasiru Abubakar, 7; Rilwanu Ahmadu, 9; Saadatu Isa, 35; and Hasiya Isa, aged one year and three months.
Reacting to the tragedy, the Chairman of Ganye Local Government Area, Daniel Kamsobbi, described the incident as a major loss for the council and the people of Adamawa State.
Kamsobbi confirmed that six persons died immediately after the lightning strike, while four others sustained injuries.
He said a mother and her child who were among those taken to the hospital had been treated and discharged, while the remaining two victims were still receiving medical attention.
He described the incident as “a tragic moment for the people in Ganye and Adamawa at large.”
The council chairman said security agencies, including the police, had been instructed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to him, the outcome of the investigation would assist the council in developing awareness programmes aimed at protecting residents, particularly farmers who frequently work outdoors.
“As a council, we have already escalated the police and law enforcement units to investigate the real cause of the tragedy whether it was natural phenomenon or human-induced so that we know the best approach we will adopt in sensitising our people.
“Even if it was caused by high cultural practices in the twenty-first century, we will be able to know how to engage our people for awareness and escalate it to the state through ALGON for impact in the entire state,” Kamsobbi said.
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