By Victor Christopher
A large gully bordering Kwarin Goje and Wailari Gari communities in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State has become a site for dumping unwanted babies born out of wedlock.
So far, five newborn babies have been dumped by suspected single mothers in the ditch within a couple of months, with only one surviving.
As the gully continues to spread year in and year out, it is not only pulling down some houses in the area but also harboring some criminals who stay inside at night to perpetrate their evil acts.
Grassroots Parrot exclusively gathered that the villagers witnessed the first case of a newborn baby wrapped in bloodstained cloth and dumped inside the gully in 2024.
Months later, four similar cases were recorded in the community, causing residents to become increasingly concerned.
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Some of the cases are still fresh in the memory of Kamisu Abdullahi, Kwarin Goje leader.
“So far we have found five babies here. Four of them were found dead; only one survived. This can only be addressed with the government’s intervention.”
The gully’s annual growth increased its danger, providing shelter to smokers and notorious criminals who were disrupting the peace of the area.
Umar Nuhu Umar Kwajale, the head of the Wailari Gari Development Association, explained that the gully is now a safe haven for criminals.
“The place is the hideout of criminals and smokers. They took advantage of the gully to carry out their activities. We are hoping this government will address our plight to address the gully erosion in our area.”. He said.
Also, Muhammad Sani Sa’idu shared his son Ibrahim Sani’s tragic loss to flooding five years ago in the same area. Sani’s body was later discovered inside the gully.
“It rained heavily on that fateful day. So Ibrahim and Muhammed were just passing through, and unfortunately, they fell inside the gully, and the mound covered them.
The elder brother Muhammad survived after the rescue operation, but Ibrahim died before we reached the hospital,” Sa’idu lamented.
Besides, Manir Lawan Ibrahim is one of the victims of the gully erosion. He lost his 3-bedroom house during heavy downpours, leaving him homeless.
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“After a heavy rain, I saw people outside my house. A few minutes later, the front view of the building collapsed. They had to pull down the fence to save me and my family,” said Manir.
Farmers are also not spared, as the gully has been consuming their farmlands.
Likewise, the gully erosion made school attendance difficult for children, leading many villagers to abandon their communities.
According to the residents, the gully erosion began in 2007 when the state government constructed a single-carriage road from Yanlemo to Gurun Gawa to enhance the community’s economic activities.
Wailari Gari, a resident, said the construction was substandard and lacked proper drainage, posing a significant risk to locals.
“Our community is now a death trap because of the gully. Most of our neighbors have relocated to a safer community, and we have tried our best to address the issue, but we can’t do it alone.” Gari said.
The village head of Wailari, Sulaiman Garba, lamented that government officials had made several promises to address their plight for years, yet the situation persists.
“Previous governments have promised to address our plight, but nothing has changed. So we are pleading with the current government to come to our aid.”. He said.
Kano State Watershed, Erosion & Climate Change Management Agency (WECCMA), is responsible for managing and controlling such gully erosion and other ecological matters in the state.
When our correspondent visited the area in August 2024, the agency said its engineers had studied the erosion and understood the level of damage in the affected communities.
However, in our latest interview with Dr. Muhammad Khalil, the Executive Secretary of the agency, he said the project has been included in this year’s ecological funds budget.
“The communities in question were among our major targets on gully erosion projects this year. Last year, we took a delegation from the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds to the affected communities. So now it was captured in this year’s ecological funds budget.”
Dr. Khalil further urged the affected communities to be patient, adding that the government is sourcing money to kick-start the project.
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“They should bear with us because the government is trying its best to get the funds for the project. I want them to be patient because we will finish the work before the end of our first tenure,” he assured.
While the residents are hopeful for government intervention to address their plight, they remain committed to demanding it until action is taken.
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