4-year-old boy dies inside well in Lagos

4-year-old boy dies inside well in Lagos

It was a sad day on Tuesday, January 10, at 49, Fakoya street, Akowonjo area of Egbeda in Lagos, when a 4-year-old boy, Praise Dada, died inside a well.

The Nation reports that Dada, who is a Nursery II pupil of Mintlaw International School, followed his mum to greet a friend who just opened a shop while returning from school at about 5pm on the fateful day.

The boy was said to have been jumping on a well and when his mum saw this, she shouted at him , to save him from the looming danger. But this did not help as the boy immediately fell into the well out of shock and panic.

The well ... yesterday. PHOTO CREDIT: Temitayo Ayetoto

This got the attention of many but no one could help rescue the boy from the well until an hour later. He was however declared dead at the Holy Mary Hospital opposite the shop. An eyewitness, Fola said:

“I was in the room when I heard someone screaming, ‘this child has killed himself’. Then I ran out to find out what happened. I even thought it was motorcycle that hit someone. Then I asked them and they said he fell inside a water.

So, I went near the gutter, assuring them that I will rescue the child. Then I realised he fell inside the well. I turned back and called 767. We waited for them for over an hour. But later some Hausa guys came and removed him. By the time he was brought out, he was dead.

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“What I heard was that the shock from his mother’s scream led the child inside well because he was already jumping on it. She shouted, fear gripped the boy and he fell down. It was the noise that attracted a crowd. His mother even wanted to go into the well before people removed the baby she strapped on her back for safety.”

Another witness, Grace Tosin, said:

“I was sleeping when I heard the landlord’s voice. The woman was passing by and decided to greet a new tenant here who just rented a shop. After exchange of greetings, she sat and they started chatting. She got here around 4pm. She sat here when the child was jumping on the well.

When she saw him on it and tried to rescue him, he got scared and his head dived into the well. Before we knew it, he was inside the well. The rescuer had wanted to enter the well much earlier but people were creating tension and saying he could also die, so the fear delayed him until he was encouraged again. It was his bag that was first retrieved before his body. He was rushed to the hospital opposite us where he was declared dead on arrival.

“The boy’s father was very furious on hearing the incident. The woman she came to greet had just started selling yesterday. That is where we usually seat whenever there is heat. It has never happened before because the well is few inches away from the ground and it was well covered.”

A nurse, who attended to him, said:

“The boy was dead on arrival. It took them long to retrieve him from the well. We tested his pulse and there was nothing.”

So sad!