Man dies trying to get phone from well in Kano

A 45-year-old man, Yusuf Usman, has died after going into a well that was turned into a refuse pit in Kwa Town, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State. He went in to retrieve a mobile phone that had fallen inside.

The incident happened on Wednesday. The Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed this in a statement.

The Fire Service got a distress call at about 11:13 a.m. from one of its staff members, Kabiru Tata, who reported the situation. Firefighters from the state headquarters were quickly sent to the scene.

“When they arrived, they found Yusuf Usman trapped inside a well that had been used as a waste disposal pit. The victim had gone into the well to get his phone but could not climb out,” the statement said.

The fire service reported that rescue workers managed to bring Yusuf out of the well but he was unconscious. Sadly, he was later confirmed dead, likely due to a lack of oxygen and heat inside the well.

The remains of Yusuf were handed over to the Ward Head of Kwa Town, Alhaji Muktar. Preliminary investigations showed that the incident occurred while he was trying to retrieve his mobile phone.

In response to this tragic event, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, urged residents to be careful around wells and other confined spaces. He asked parents, guardians, and community leaders to make sure that wells are properly covered and that abandoned wells are filled to stop such avoidable accidents.

The fire chief also warned residents against going into wells, pits, or other closed spaces without proper safety measures or help from professionals.