By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
A tragic building collapse, triggered by heavy rainfall, claimed the lives of a mother and three of her young children in the early hours of Wednesday in the Karauka area of Zaria.
The victims have been identified as Mallama Habiba Nuhu, her two daughters, Hauwa’u Nuhu and Aina’u Nuhu, and her granddaughter, Za’uma.
According to a relative, Mallam Ahmed Ibrahim, the disaster occurred between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. when a mud wall from a neighbouring house gave way and collapsed onto the family’s room.
“The victims died on the spot because they were covered by rubble,” Ibrahim stated.
The husband and father, Mallam Nuhu Dogara, was the sole survivor. He was recovered alive from the debris and rushed to a hospital for medical attention.
He was later discharged just in time to attend the funeral prayers for his family.
Local authorities attribute the collapse to the ceaseless rainfall that has been battering the Zaria area, which weakened the structure of the adjacent building.