11 Kids Buried Alive in Nigeria Sand Pit Collapse
KANO: Eleven children were buried alive while excavating sand in northern Nigeria when a pit collapsed on Tuesday, police said.
The children, aged between four and nine, were excavating sand for making mud bricks when the pit outside Yardoka village in Kaduna state collapsed on them.
'Eleven of the children died and seven others were injured and now in hospital receiving treatment,' Mansir Hassan, Kaduna state police spokesperson said.
'Our men and volunteers from the village dug out the victims from the collapsed pit.'
Police are investiging whether the children were recruited to work, which would be considered child labour, Hassan said.
The children were from an informal madrassa, or Islamic religious school, which are common in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria.
Children from poor backgrounds are often sent to madrassas to learn the Koran, and many beg in the streets or take on menial jobs to pay the school fees.
Attempts by authorities and local groups to reform the age-old madrassa system have faced opposition from traditional clerics.
In February, 17 pupils were killed and 17 others were severely injured when a fire tore through the lodging of a madrassa in northwestern Zamfara state, according to police.
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The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Blow one's cover
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The country's highest administrative court in 2023 upheld the rule in football, arguing the federation was allowed to impose a 'neutrality requirement'. United Nations experts last year called the rules in both sports 'disproportionate and discriminatory'. It is difficult to estimate how many women might be prevented from competing if such legislation passes. But AFP spoke to several women whose lives had already been affected by similar rules. Samia Bouljedri, a French 21-year-old of Algerian origin, said she had been playing football for her club in the village of Moutiers for four years when she decided to cover her hair at the end of high school. She continued playing with her team, but after her club was fined several weekends in a row for allowing her on the field, they asked her to take off her hijab or quit. 'That they ended my happiness, just like that, over a scarf made me really sad,' she said. 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3 hours ago
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India intensifies expulsion of suspected foreigners to Bangladesh
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The Sun
5 hours ago
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I can't bear watching videos of crash - UPSI bus crash victim's father
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