Body of missing Anambra schoolboy found

The body of six-year-old Success Ezenwafor, a student at UNIZIK Primary School, has been found. He was swept away by floodwater in Anambra State on Tuesday.

Success was taken by the flood when a school bus carrying him and others got stuck and flipped over on the Nibo, Isiagu Road in Awka South Local Government Area.

Nine other people on the bus, seven children and two adults, were saved by the Anambra State Police and local residents. They were taken to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, for treatment.

Success's body was found on Wednesday morning during a search by the police and community members. His remains were then taken to the morgue.

The accident happened early Tuesday after heavy rain fell across the state.

Tochukwu Ikenga, spokesperson for the Anambra State Police, said on Tuesday that the search for Success was ongoing with help from community members and other groups.

On Wednesday, Prince Chinedu Okafor, the Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area, led the rescue effort and confirmed that the boy’s body had been found.

Okafor said the other children rescued were stable and getting treatment at Amaku. He said, “The body of the missing child, Success Ezenwafor, has been recovered. The other children are in stable condition and receiving medical treatment at the hospital.

“I am at Amaku Teaching Hospital right now.

“We deeply sympathize with the Ezenwafor family over this heartbreaking loss. I spoke with a family member, and they are understandably very upset.”

Okafor shared that Success’s father remembered his son’s last moments before he went to school on Tuesday.

“Success kissed his father on both cheeks, said goodbye, and got on the bus for school. Sadly, he never came back home.

“Two other children from the family who were also in the bus were thankfully rescued.

“A family member described Success as a brave boy. He managed to break one of the bus's windows, helping others escape. Sadly, he could not reach safety himself,” he said.

Okafor expressed his condolences to the family and prayed for strength for them during this tough time.

In a statement, the Ezenwafor family called the incident a painful loss. They mentioned that the other passengers were rescued and taken to Amaku for care.

“With total submission to God, we announce that our little son, Success Ezenwafor, has joined the Church triumphant,” the statement said.

The family is making plans to move his body from Amaku to their hometown, Ula, Ekwulobia.