Boy, 4, dies inside well

A four-year-old lad, Praise Dada, fell inside a well on Tuesday following a shout by his mum who found him playing near the well.

The incident occurred at 49, Fakoya Street, Akowonjo area of Egbeda, Lagos around 5pm.

Dada, a Nursery II pupil of Mintlaw International School, followed his mother to greet a friend while returning from school.

Mrs Dada decided to visit her friend who just opened a shop near the school.

Dada was seen jumping on the well with a fragile lid. As his mother screamed on the looming danger, the boy, out of shock and panic, was said to have fell inside the well.

The action attracted a huge crowd but none could enter the well to rescue the boy.

The Nation learnt that it took an hour before he was recovered. He was 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.

“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.”

Lagos State Fire Service Director Rasaq Fadipe said: “It was said that the boy followed his mother to a place and was still in school uniform. The mother didn’t know when the boy left her side. It’s unfortunate. When the fire service at Ikotun received the distress call, they responded but the boy had already sunk.”

When The Nation visited the family, the father told our reporter: “We don’t want any media interference. We have accepted what happened and we are moving on. Whatever the rumour out there is, we don’t care. There is nothing to clarify.”