Mohammed Hibu and Huria Ali

THE parents of a five-year-old girl who died after she fell into a canal near the housing estate where she lived say they are still waiting for answers and an apology over safety by the water’s edge.

Mohammed Hibu and Huria Ali’s daughter Malika died on February 17 after she was found unconscious in the City Road Basin, off Wharf Road, next to her home in the Crest Buildings, which was built less than five years ago and is managed by the Peabody housing association.

After she went missing, the alarm had been raised and neighbours were out helping the family look for the Bridge School pupil when her puffer jacket was spotted in the water and she was pulled out.

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate her at the scene just metres from her front door, but she died later in hospital.

Malika

Mr Hibu, who last month described his daughter as “a princess in name and in every way,” said: “An area manager from Peabody came. When I started asking him question after question, he said, ‘I’m sorry, I have no idea. I just started working with Peabody last year, October.’ So he had no answers for me. I said ‘thank you very much, goodbye’.”

Since then, no one else has been to see the family, from either Peabody or Islington, he said.

It has been speculated that barriers were planned for the waterside but there was an issue over who owned the land.

Mr Hibu said: “I asked him ‘Why didn’t you put the protection bar or barrier anything?’ This is big estate. Hundreds of families live here. That means children, many children. I’m very disappointed.”

A spokesperson for the Canal and Riverside Trust (CRT) said it was not responsible for the land. “It’s not our land/towpath and my understanding is that Peabody housing is responsible for maintenance of the location,” they said.

Peabody’s letter to the couple

The family are also unhappy Peabody sent the family a letter demanding an overdue rent payment just two days after ­Malika’s death.

Mr Hibu said: “What I see: they don’t call and they don’t say sorry for what happened. It’s been more than one month now. Nothing, not even a letter, not one paragraph, nothing.”

To get “justice for our daughter,” he said questions must be asked about how, in the designing of a large estate that backs on to the water, there was not more done for canal safety. He has been watching a treasured video of him with his daughter every day since her death.

A Peabody spokesperson said it had been too late to stop the letter about rent. They said: “We’ve offered the family a range of support including practical assistance in the home, and bereavement support,” adding: “Our thoughts remain with Malika’s family after her tragic death. We’ve been working with the council’s children’s services to offer ongoing support, while respecting the family’s privacy. We’ll be in touch with all the residents on the estate about the next steps and will continue to support the family.”