Eyewitnesses around the area where Adewura Bello reportedly fell into a manhole have narrated the last moments of the deceased, saying her death could have been averted if the motorcycle rider carrying her had heeded to warning.
The witnesses said the motorcycle rider was warned not to pass through the flood, but he declined and insisted on riding through the flood which led to the unfortunate incident.
WuzupNaija reports that Adewura went missing on May 15 on her way home from the office in Ikeja, she was declared dead on Sunday after her body was found in a canal in Lagos.
The 26-year-old chartered accountant was returning home after the heavy rain that day when she reportedly fell into a manhole at Shagari Estate in Ipaja area of Lagos, which was just a few meters away from her residence.
Some eyewitnesses who spoke with The Cable said the victim had boarded a motorcycle behind the estate to take her home. But the rain had wrecked havoc and flooded the major road to her home.
They noted that the motorcycle rider was warned not to pass through the flooded area, but he ignored the warning.
While meandering his way through the flood, the motorcycle tripped and fell. He was able to save himself and the motorcycle but Bello was unlucky as the flood swept her away into the manhole that leads to a bigger canal.
When TheCable visited the scene of the incident opposite Shagari estate, Ipaja, on Monday, the manhole was still open but had been guided with an iron fence. Residents had rallied round to prevent a recurrence of tragedy in the area.
“We warned the rider not to pass through the flood but he didn’t listen to us,” a mechanic, who didn’t want his identity disclosed, told TheCable.
“He rode near the manhole saying he could make his way through the flood to the other side. But he fell and he struggled for himself and the motorcycles. The lady was washed inside the hole. We couldn’t save her because the flood was massive.
“The driver was taken to Mosalasi police station and detained but he was later released.
“Anytime it rains, this whole place is usually covered up with high volume of water and it extends to the third street after Havana hotel. All the water from Shagari Estate, Mosan and other places around were diverted here. That’s why the whole street is bad. We always warn people not to pass there any time there’s flood.”
When asked why the manhole wasn’t covered, he said:
“We had to open it anytime it rains so that the flood can pass through to the canal. If not, this place will become an ocean and destroy our properties. When we cover it, scavengers will remove it at night to sell to scrap dealers. So, it’s always open.”
An elderly man, who simply identified himself as Baba Segun, said the incident was unfortunate and avoidable. “Even as the manhole looks small, the canal is very big. Once my dog fell inside, I went inside and realised I was walking as though in subway. I think the canal terminates at a central sewage in Gemade estate.”
He added that after the flood subsided the next day, residents engaged two men to go inside the canal in search of Bello but they couldn’t get her.
“After the incident, we had to contribute money around here to put a metal fence around the manhole since we never can tell who the next victim could be, as we are in the raining season. Since we work here, we contribute money every year to buy truckloads of sand to fill the street to make it accessible for vehicles,” he said.
No policeman at Mosalasi police station was willing to speak. They insisted that only Bala Elkana, spokesman of the Lagos state police command, could comment on the issue. TheCable had demanded an update on the motorcycle rider who was arrested in connection with the incident. Elkana did not answer calls and is yet to reply text messages sent to him since Monday evening.
