A tragic incident has left the Gboko West community in Benue State in deep sorrow after a teenager, Japheth Amine, drowned in River Nomnor Mke on Thursday.

Japheth, a student in the area, reportedly sneaked out of school with a group of friends during study hours to swim in the river.

 Eyewitnesses said while the boys were enjoying themselves in the water, Japheth was suddenly swept away by a strong current. Sadly, his friends couldn’t rescue him in time.

Local residents who went to the riverbank to wash clothes later found his lifeless body around 1:45 p.m. The discovery sparked tears and lamentation among villagers, who gathered at the scene in disbelief over the loss of the young student.

The incident has thrown the entire Gboko West community in Gboko Local Government Area into mourning. Many expressed their heartbreak, describing Japheth as a lively boy whose life was cut short too soon.

Community leaders have since called on parents and schools to increase supervision of students and warn them against visiting risky places like rivers, especially during school hours. They stressed that such caution could help prevent similar tragedies in the future.