4th June, 2012
Three kids who narrowly escaped death when the Dana plane crashed into their two storey buildings told P.M.NEWS today that they cannot find their parents till now.
The kids, Joel, Esther and Chisom Okwuchukwu were out of the building when the Dana plane crashed into it.
They slept in the house of a good Nigerian last night but said they had not seen their parents since the incident occurred.
The eldest of the three, Joel told P.M.NEWS that their father had asked him and Chisom to go and call Esther who was told to call an electrician from the neighbourhood but had not returned.
He said since Esther was not forthcoming, their father told them to go and call her, saying that it was while they were coming with Esther that the incident occurred.
The children said they could only remember the name of one of their uncles in Abuja by the name Tony Okechukwu.
However, the state government took custody of the children and took them to the State House, Ikeja pending when a relative of theirs would be found.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Aderemi Ibirogba told newsmen that the state government had taken custody of the children, saying that their parents might have died in the building.
He said government was ready to take care of the children, saying that they were fully protected.
Meanwhile, a 13-year old boy,David Shoyemi who escaped death by the whiskers said he saw the plane when it crashlanded.
He said he was ironing clothes in front of their house when the plane cut down part of the mango tree in their house while one of its wings fell down.
According to him, his father had asked him to go and buy recharge card near the building the plane crashed into but was told by his father not to go again as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, had restored light. Instead of going, his father asked him to iron his clothes in preparation for school. It was while he was doing that, that the plane crashed.
He said he saw when the plane cut off the mango branch crashed into the building.
His father, Emmanuel Shoyemi, said he ran out when one of the wings of the plane fell in front of his house and that he heard two loud bangs like bombs when the plane crashlanded.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga, Bayo Adetu & Oluwole Adeboye