A tragic incident occurred in the Babarinsa community of Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, where a three-year-old boy named Chibuike Uba lost his life after falling into an uncovered soakaway.
The boy’s mother, Utoro, who had traveled from Epe to visit her aunt in the area, was packing to leave when Chibuike followed his aunt outside while she stepped out to make a phone call.
Upon her aunt’s return, Utoro realized her son was missing. A frantic search ensued, and she soon spotted Chibuike’s slippers near the open soakaway on a neighboring compound, which lacked fencing.
She raised the alarm, and efforts were made to rescue the boy. He was rushed first to a nearby hospital in the Sapati area and later referred to the General Hospital in Akodo, where he was placed on oxygen but was eventually pronounced dead by medical personnel.
The bereaved mother has blamed the landlord for negligence, alleging that her aunt had repeatedly warned him to cover the soakaway, but he failed to act.
She explained that a plank used to cover the pit had been damaged by flooding and that the soakaway remains uncovered to this day.
A human rights advocate, Harmony Tachie, confirmed that the landlord does not reside in the community and that efforts are underway to report the incident to the police to seek justice for the boy.
The tragedy has sparked calls for urgent action to secure hazardous sites to prevent further loss of lives in the community.
