The
little girl, identified as Aliyah Hussein, was returning from Abeokuta
with her parents on Sunday when she and her mother slipped on
the edge of the canal and fell into it.
little girl, identified as Aliyah Hussein, was returning from Abeokuta
with her parents on Sunday when she and her mother slipped on
the edge of the canal and fell into it.
Punch newspaper reports that the yet-to-be-identified couple also drowned last Monday in the canal, as
residents of Ewekoro lamented the failure of the state authorities to
put a slab on the open part of the canal and guard it with iron bars so
that pedestrians would not fall into it.
residents of Ewekoro lamented the failure of the state authorities to
put a slab on the open part of the canal and guard it with iron bars so
that pedestrians would not fall into it.
Aliyah’s father, Oseni, said his family was returning
from Abeokuta when it rained heavily in the area and caused a traffic
gridlock.
from Abeokuta when it rained heavily in the area and caused a traffic
gridlock.
Oseni added that his wife was seriously
injured, and would also have died but for the quick intervention of
other pedestrians who struggled to pull her out.
injured, and would also have died but for the quick intervention of
other pedestrians who struggled to pull her out.
Oseni, who described his deceased
daughter as his joy, said the management of a cement factory in the
area, who reportedly dug the canal, did not show sympathy to his family.
daughter as his joy, said the management of a cement factory in the
area, who reportedly dug the canal, did not show sympathy to his family.
He said,
“The incident happened around
8pm on Sunday. We were in a bus coming from Abeokuta when it started
raining and there was a heavy traffic so we decided to take motorcycles
to Ifo where we lived.“I got a motorcycle to Papa and left
while my wife, our first son and Aliyah also took a motorcycle. Aliyah
was asleep so my wife carried her on her back. When we got to the canal,
the motorcyclist’s hands were unstable because of the flood and my wife
alighted from the motorcycle.“The motorcyclist rode his bike to the
other side of the road and my wife and daughter were attempting to cross
the road to meet him when she slipped on the uncovered part of the
canal and fell. There is an open part of the canal, which is supposed to
be covered and guarded with iron bars but has been neglected. My wife
did not see it because of the flood.
“It was our first child who observed
that my wife and daughter had fallen into the canal and he immediately
raised the alarm. When people rallied round them, they were able to pull
out my wife, but we did not see Aliyah again.
“We continued searching for her till
Monday. She was found dead on Monday evening and has been buried. She
was a bright girl and she was just five years, and eight months.
“When we went to see the management of
the cement company to lodge a complaint, we did not see anyone to
complain to. All they needed to do was to put a slab on that uncovered
part and use iron bars to demarcate the canal from the road.”
A resident, who identified herself simply as Matron, further showed punch newspaper the bones suspected to be remains of people who had fallen
into the canal in past months.
into the canal in past months.
She added that Aliyah’s corpse was recovered at the back of a cement company in the area a day after the incident.
She said,
“The slab on the canal does
not cover the entire surface, and during heavy rains, the flood covers
that part and pedestrians who are not familiar with the terrain fall
easily into the canal.
“A couple still fell and drowned last
Monday. It is wickedness on the part of the authorities and the cement
company who are supposed to undertake the fixing of the iron bars. How
many people will drown in this canal before the proper thing is done?”