A Nigerian primary six pupil simply, who was identified as Joshua, has drowned.
The boy was swept away by flood in Ikosi, Ketu area of Lagos State.
The pupil was returning home from school alongside his colleagues when the tragic incident occurred on Taiwo Street in Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos.
Reacting to the tragedy, Joshua's mother, a fruit seller, wept, pulling her hair and lamented the loss of her only child.
“Joshua died hungry and cold. He was in primary six; he was supposed to write his common entrance exam,” she said.
The mother, who was clearly distraught, revealed that she had lost her home in a fire and was living in a temporary shelter.
She pleaded with the public to help her find her son, promising to do anything to get him back.
A witness, who is also a youth leader in the area, known as Oloyede, said he saw children in the rain and warned them to be careful because the area.
“But unfortunately, the plank that was used to bridge the canal was completely covered by water, and they fell into the drainage.
“I managed to swim and rescue one of them, but unfortunately, Joshua was swept away by the heavy currents and died,” he said.
A community leader, who spoke off the record, blamed the government for abandoning a project to channel the drainage, leaving the area prone to flooding.
“In January, the government started a project to channel the drainage, but they abandoned it, leaving us with this unfinished project. Every time it rains, the area is filled with water,” he said.
When contacted, Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, said he did not receive any report on the incident.
Efforts to reach the Lagos police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, did not yield result as he did not respond to calls.
