Minna— Five children, three of the same parents, have died from suffocation in an abandoned car in Minna, Niger State.
The sad incident occurred in Gurara, Albishiri area of Minna. Vanguard gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday.

The five children were said to be playing in the area before they eventually went into the vehicle, a Honda Civic Accord with number plate, GO 778 BC, which was said to have been parked on the spot for almost three years.

It could not be immediately ascertained whether the doors of the vehicles were locked or whether one of the doors was forcefully opened by the children.

For over five hours, from about 11 a.m., when the parents and other neighbours were frantically searching for them, they were later discovered about 4 p.m., dead in the vehicle.

One of the residents of the area simply called Muhammed described the incident as “very pathetic,” adding: “Three of the children are of the same parents. The other one is a child of the owner of the vehicle while the fifth child is from the neighbourhood.

“The car had been parked on the same spot for almost three years and nobody had entered it since then. Everybody in the area joined the parents in searching for the kids only to discover them in the abandoned car stone dead after about five hours.”

Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area of the state, Aminu Ladan, who lives in the area, confirmed the incident, describing it as “very painful but an act of God,” adding that the remains of the children had been recovered and handed over to their parents for burial.

State Police Command spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the incident, adding that the owner of the vehicle had been invited for questioning.

According to him, “Based on information on Sunday at 6:30p.m., five children of about five and 13 years were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle with number plate, GO 778 ABC, at Albishiri area of Minna.

“They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle while their bodies were later removed by the various parents of the deceased.”

Investigation into the death, according to him, is ongoing.