Inside Kano Wells Of Death

The term, wells of death, would quickly refer one’s mind to the once famous American motor-drome racing, a dangerous carnival sideshow featuring motorcycles and vehicles, where performers ride horizontally along the vertical walls of a wooden, barrel-shaped structure, often performing stunts.

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Similarly, in India, this carnival stunt involves cars, motorcycles, brave drivers and speed. Inside a wooden barrel, drivers defy gravity riding at a 90-degree incline, relying solely on engine power to perform, while the lights and noise complete the experience for the audience. ad It is a highly dangerous and specialised profession with dwindling popularity and few new practitioners in today’s world. ad However, back in Kano, Nigeria, the same phrase, ‘Wells of death’ carries a whole new meaning with the increasing number of deaths being recorded to have involved wells in the state in recent times. E-transmission of results: Connectivity or political will? Bandits kill DPO in Katsina Once a phrase associated with a carnival of attraction globally, the phrase on the other hand, ironically has sent shivers down the spine of many families in the state leaving them traumatised and in grief. Across several communities in Kano State, open and poorly secured wells have continued to claim lives in a string of tragic incidents that have left families devastated and authorities grappling with intending preventive measures ad Findings by Weekend Trust show that between June 2024 and February 2026, no fewer than a dozen, many of them children and young adults, lost their lives in separate well-related accidents across nine local government areas of the state. From Nasarawa to Danbatta, Dawakin Tofa to Gwale, the pattern is disturbingly similar: an uncovered or poorly secured well, a fall, sometimes accidental, sometimes during an attempted rescue and a desperate race against time that often ends in death. One of the earliest recorded incidents within the period occurred on June 4, 2024, in Kawon, Alhaji Sani area of Nasarawa Local Government Area. ad A 33-year-old man identified as Muhd Sagir reportedly fell into a dry well. Reports at the time noted that operatives of the Kano State Fire Service responded swiftly after receiving a distress call of the incident. Sagir was pulled out of the well unconscious and rushed for medical attention but was later confirmed dead. The tragedy underscored the dangers posed, not only by water-filled wells but also by abandoned or dry wells left uncovered in residential areas. In early November 2025, two families were thrown into mourning within 24 hours as two children died in separate well accidents. In Kashirmo village, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, an eight-year-old girl, identified as Zara’u Muhammad, reportedly slipped and fell into a deep well. Residents and local responders attempted rescuing her, but she was later confirmed dead.Barely hours later, another tragedy struck in Dala Local Government Area, where a six-year-old boy fell into a well. He was rescued unconscious but did not survive. Community members described both incidents as preventable, noting that many wells in the affected areas were either uncovered or inadequately secured. Considered one of the most heart-wrenching episodes, in December 2025, four people, including two children, died in three separate incidents across Danbatta, Bichi and Nasarawa local government areas. In Danbatta, a father and his son reportedly fell into a well, and in a desperate bid to save them, another man entered the well but also got trapped. All the three were later confirmed dead in what residents described as a tragic chain of rescue attempts gone wrong.