Thursday, July 10, 2025 - Tragedy struck on Monday in Lokoja when a two-year-old boy, Godwin Kumfa, drowned in the Meme River near his home in the Phase Two area of the Kogi State capital.
The incident occurred at 7:30 am at the Meme River behind
Navy Quarters, Phase Two Extension, Lokoja.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the boy’s father, Mr.
Mamtip Kumfa, said he received a call from a neighbour around 7:30 am informing
him that his son was missing.
Kumfa, a security guard at a private school in Lokoja, said
that upon rushing home, he discovered that his wife, Mrs. Lovina Kumfa, was
frantically searching for their child at the riverside.
According to Kumfa, his wife had left Godwin sitting by the
river while she went to collect sand and returned to find him gone.
“Godwin was left unattended near the river while his mother
went to collect sand.
“After a rigorous search, we later found one of my son’s
shoes at the Arigbede area of the river.
“This is the first time my wife is doing that kind of sand
work since I married her. I am confused. I don’t know what to do. Godwin is my
only son,” Kumfa lamented.
A friend of the family, Mr. Seun Babalola, recounted the
events, stating that they tried to trail the boy along the river path but only
found one of his shoes about 15 km away from the incident site
Babalola also revealed that this was not the first time such
an incident had occurred at this spot.
“This is so sad and pathetic because this is not the first
time such an incident has happened in this particular spot of the Meme River.
“A seven-year-old boy, Goodluck Friday, from the same
family, drowned in the same river two years ago.
“We cannot say if it is a spiritual or natural occurrence;
only God knows,’ Babalola said.
The mother’s anguish was palpable as she cried out for help,
pleading with God to return her only child.
In a heart-wrenching account, Mrs. Kumfa said: “I had left
my son, Godwin, sitting by the river while I went to collect sand. When I
returned, he was nowhere to be found.
“I’m unsure how he got into the river, but the current swept
him away.”
“Please, God, help me find my child,” she cried out in
distress.
The community is still reeling from the shock of the
tragedy, with friends and family members offering support to the grieving
family.
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