A devastating incident occurred in the Ikosi, Ketu area of Lagos State, where a young pupil, Joshua, in primary six, tragically lost his life after being swept away by flood.
The floodwaters struck while Joshua was walking home from school with his friends.
A fruit seller, Joshua’s mother, expressed her grief over losing her only child. “Joshua died hungry and cold. He was in primary six; he was supposed to write his common entrance exam,”
A witness, Oloyede, who is a youth leader in the area, recounted seeing children in the rain and warning them to be cautious due to the dangerous conditions.
Tragically, the children ignored Oloyede’s warnings and attempted to cross a submerged plank bridge, which collapsed, sending them into the drainage channel. While Oloyede heroically rescued one child, Joshua was unable to withstand the powerful currents and lost his life.
A community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, lamented the government’s neglect of a critical drainage system upgrade project, which has left the area dangerously prone to flooding, and has ultimately cost a young life.