The day started as any normal day for Hadiza and her family. But as if he felt like his time was near, one of her sons asked her and his teacher discomforting questions which he never got a response to.

For Hadiza Salisu, a grieving mother in Janbango community on the outskirts of Katsina metropolis, that one simple question asked by her 12-year-old son moments before he left home has become the memory she would carry for the rest of her life.

“Mama, what is the reward for a child who obeys his parents throughout his life without ever making them complain about him?” She didn’t give him a response.

Hours later, the boy and his younger brother, seven-year-old Abdurrahman, were swept away by flood while returning from an Islamiyya school.

Holding back tears, Hadiza recalled the final moments she shared with her sons before they left for school.

“I told him I didn’t know the answer,” she said quietly.

“He smiled and said, ‘If there are consequences for disobeying parents, then surely there must be a great reward for obeying them. I will ask my Islamiyya teacher when I get to school.’”

Taking a pause, she added, “I never imagined those would be among the last words I would hear from my son.”

She narrates that as the brothers walked towards school, they repeatedly turned around to wave at her.

“They kept waving at me as they walked away. I remained standing there until they disappeared from my sight. I never knew that was the last time I would see them alive..”

Hadiza: the boys spent the day as they always did.

She described Muhammad and Abdurrahman as children whose greatest qualities were humility, generosity and respect for others.

“What I remember most about them is their humility. Whatever they had, no matter how little, they shared with their siblings and friends. They always thought about others before themselves.”

Every Friday is Maulud, she said, noting that the brothers would always remind the family about visiting relatives.

“They believed strongly in maintaining family ties. Every Friday they would ask us when we were going to visit our relatives. They loved family gatherings and respected their elders.”

“Since their death, I cry uncontrollably, as every corner of this house reminds me of them. Their absence has left a wound in my heart that words cannot describe.”

News that shattered a community

On the fateful day, there was torrential rainfall, accompanied by violent winds.

As the brothers made their way home from Islamiyya school, floodwaters overwhelmed the area and swept them away.

Residents immediately launched a search that lasted for hours.

Their bodies were recovered from different locations the following day.

The discovery plunged the entire community into mourning.

‘They were our most humble, brightest pupils’

At the Islamiyya school, grief remains overwhelming.

One of the teachers, Sayyadi Nuruddeen Muhammad, struggled to speak as he remembered the brothers who were his students.

“What happened is the will of Allah, and we submit to His decree,” he said.

“Muhammad and Abdurrahman were among our brightest pupils. They were respectful, intelligent, and always came to school neatly dressed,” he said.

He said what distinguished the brothers from others was the affection they showed each other and others.

“I never saw them quarrel or exchange harsh words. They loved one another deeply and treated everyone with respect. Their behaviour reflected the excellent upbringing they got from their parents.”

Another teacher recalled a conversation with Muhammad on the very day he died.

During a Qur’anic lesson, the boy quietly raised his hand.

“Can humility, patience and dedication to serving one’s parents be a key to attaining Aljannah Firdaus?” he asked.

The teacher admitted the question caught him completely unawares.

“I wondered what could make such a young boy ask something so profound.

“He told me he needed the answer because he had promised his mother he would tell her when he returned home.

“He was one of the most inquisitive pupils I have ever taught. He constantly asked questions that reflected wisdom beyond his age. Looking back now, I wish I had answered him.”

The school’s proprietor, Sayyadi Nuruddeen Muhammad, said the news of the tragedy shattered the entire school community.

“The emotional impact has been devastating,” he said.

“Since their demise, we have been unable to resume academic activities. Every corner of this school reminds us of both boys.

"Teachers are grieving, pupils are traumatised, and parents are heartbroken,” he said tearfully.

However, despite the pain, he expressed gratitude to residents of Janbango for standing by the family.

“We sincerely appreciate the people of this community. They supported us with prayers, comfort and compassion throughout those sorrowful days.

They mourned the children as though they were their own.”

United, loved till death

Perhaps the most daunting account came from a resident, Malam Ali, who witnessed the brothers’ final moments.

According to him, the children had just closed from Islamiyya school when the rain intensified.

Within minutes, familiar streets turned into violent torrents, and the flood became uncontrollable.

“The wind blew violently, and the current was moving with unbelievable force. Before anyone realised what was happening, the water swept the boys away,” he said.

He said he ran after them, but the flood was stronger than his rescue attempt.

“I watched helplessly as they were carried away,” he said with a trembling voice.

“They held tightly onto each other. They never let go. The elder brother appeared to be trying to protect the younger one until the very end; he was raising his one hand for rescue until they disappeared from my sight,” he said.

Residents were said to have ran alongside the flood channel searching for any opportunity to rescue them, but to no avail.

“There was absolutely nothing we could do. The water was too powerful.

“As a father, it’s the most painful thing I have ever witnessed. I still see those innocent children holding each other as the flood carried them away.”

Also speaking, their father, Malam Salisu Arabi, said, “They left home that day like every other child going to Islamiyya school. I never imagined the same rain all of us witnessed would take away my two sons. No father should ever bury two children in a single day.”

Fighting back tears, he appealed to the authorities to address the issue of flooding bedeviling the society.

“I pray that Allah grants them Aljannatul Firdaus. I also appeal to the government to help address this flooding so that no other family experiences this pain again.”

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the persistent flooding crisis confronting Janbango community.

Residents said inadequate drainage infrastructure has exposed the area to devastating floods for more than a decade.

According to them, floodwaters from several parts of Katsina metropolis converge on Janbango during heavy rainfall, washing away roads, destroying homes and endangering lives.

Chairman of the Janbango Community Development Association, Malam Tajuddeen, Muhamad said repeated appeals to successive administrations had produced little response.

“This is not the first flood we have experienced,” he said.

“But this is the most heartbreaking because it claimed the lives of two innocent children.”

He explained that every rainy season residents live in fear.

“Water from different parts of the metropolis passes through this community because there are no adequate drainage channels. Every year roads are washed away, houses are flooded, and families count their losses.”

He appealed to the relevant authorities to urgently address the situation. (Weekend Trust)

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