A 42-year-old man, identified as Nasiru, is feared drowned after entering the Asa River while attempting to intervene in an altercation at Asa Bridge, along Emir’s Road, Ilorin, Kwara State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, October 17, when a confrontation between two adults reportedly resulted in an injury, prompting one of the individuals, identified as Abubakar, to run towards the river and jump in.
Nasiru, who reportedly attempted to intervene in the situation, also entered the river but was subsequently reported missing in the water.
The Kwara State Fire Service said it received a distress call about the incident and deployed its rescue team to the scene at 10:15 a.m., where firefighters immediately commenced a search and rescue operation.
According to the service, the search continued for several hours but had yet to yield a positive result as of the time of its statement, with efforts ongoing to locate the missing man.
The Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, was present at the scene to provide leadership and supervise the operation.
Reacting to the incident, Alabi warned residents against entering rivers or other bodies of water during confrontations, stressing the need to prioritise personal safety and seek assistance from the appropriate emergency response agencies.
He also urged members of the public to remain calm during disputes and allow trained emergency responders to handle dangerous situations rather than putting their lives at risk.
The fire service, through its Public Relations Officer, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, assured residents that its personnel remained committed to the search operation and would continue making efforts to locate the missing man.
The agency said further updates would be provided as more information became available.
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