Tragedy struck on Saturday in Orisha Community, Magodo, Isheri area
of Lagos State, after a mudslide hit a three bed-roomed flat, killing
all the four children in the house.
According to Sunday gooo2015/11/4817″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Punch,
that the incident happened around 4.50am on Ottun
Araromi Street, while the victims were sleeping in their rooms.They
were identified as Sylva, 23; Sayo, 15; Clinton, 13; and Endurance, 8.It
was learnt that there had been a downpour over the night till the early
hours of Saturday.
Their father, Godwin Odia, who is attached to the Mobile Police
Force, the combat arm of the Nigeria Police, was said to have woken up
around 3am to take his bath and had stepped into the parlour when the
mudslide hit the children’s room.
They were said to have been buried alive by the mud before rescue
officials from the state and the Federal Governments arrived at the
scene to recover their bodies.
Fifty-year-old Odia said his children would not have died if the
mudslide happened during the week when they would have gone to school.
He said,
“By 3am, I wake up every day to prepare for work. That is
the time I also wake them up. But since today is Saturday, I did not
bother to do that. I still saw them sleeping as I prepared myself for
work.
“I was in the parlour when I heard a loud noise. My four children
just died like that. God, what is my offence? What did I do wrong? Four
children in one day?! I am supposed to die in their place. I must have
sinned. I don’t even know what I am still doing alive.”
Godwin, who hailed from Ewatu in the Esan
South Local Government Area of Edo State, married three women.
But his first wife, who was Sayo’s mother, had separated from him.His
second wife was said to have given birth to the remaining three
children.
His third wife, Felicia, who reportedly did not have a child, said
she had lost all reason to stay alive because the children took her as
their mother.