A four-year-old boy, Oyedokun Daniel tragically drowned in a canal on his way back from church on Sunday at Awori Street, Dopemu, Agege in Lagos State. The heavy rain that day resulted in the flooding, sweeping the young boy away, causing distress to the family.
Daniel’s father, Olabode Oyedokun, in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, said that his son had accompanied a neighbor to church due to his own inability to take him. He recounted arriving home to find a crowd gathered, learning about his son’s unfortunate accident. A teenager, related to the neighbor, had been escorting the children to the church. However, tragedy struck as Daniel slipped and fell into the canal while waiting at its edge.
Expressing his sorrow in pidgin English, Olabode blamed the church for allowing the children to leave the church while there was a heavy rainfall, believing they should have maintained better safety measures until the weather improved.
In spite of the devastating loss, the mourning father lamented the church’s decision and pointed out the absence of proper supervision, emphasizing the need for caution in such circumstances.
Regarding the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the report and mentioned the efforts undertaken by the police and state fire service divers in attempting to find the boy. Unfortunately, they discovered Daniel’s lifeless body in a gutter along the same street.
Hundeyin extended sympathies to the bereaved family and urged parents to be vigilant, especially those residing near water channels, to prevent similar tragedies.
The distraught mother, too overwhelmed with grief, managed to express gratitude for her surviving twins amidst her pain.
The police released the boy’s body to his father for immediate burial upon the latter’s request after its recovery from the gutter.
