12th July, 2011
A motorcycle rider in Aboru near Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, simply known as Baba Adija, was swept away by flood as he made frantic efforts to save his two children, a boy and a girl.
P.M.NEWS learnt that the motorcycle rider popularly called Okada rider who resided at Isola Street, Aboru was trying to save his two children, aged 14 and 15, when he missed his steps and was swept away by the flood caused by heavy rainfall at the weekend.
Though the children were later rescued from drowning, Baba Adijat could not be saved and his corpse is yet to be found.
Meanwhile, the corpse of the seventh victim that drowned in the flood in the area was found and handed over to his relatives yesterday.
The bodies of the other six victims were identified earlier and carried away by their relatives for burial.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS, a landlord in Aboru, Sheriff Seriki, blamed the flooded canal on blocked drainage channel.
He opined that if the canal had been cleared before the heavy rain fall on Sunday, the disaster would have been averted.
Seriki called on the Lagos State government to ensure regular clearing of the drainage channel to prevent flooding.
The landlord who has been living in Aboru for about eleven years said he had never seen a flood disaster of Sunday’s magnitude since he moved to the area.
—Kayode Aponmade