A man has died while attempting to save a two-year-old child who fell into a well in Abule Egba, Lagos State, as emergency responders failed to retrieve the toddler after hours of rescue efforts.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, identifying the location as Paul Street, inward Agbe Road, Abule Egba.
According to the agency, the child, whose mother worked as a cleaner in the compound, accidentally fell into the well, prompting a resident to climb down in an attempt to rescue the toddler. The man, however, became trapped and could not make his way out.
LASEMA said it received a distress call at about 9.48am and immediately dispatched a response team from its Igando base. The rescuer was found dead, and his remains were subsequently handed over to his relatives and members of the Hausa community for burial according to their customs.
The agency, working alongside the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the police, launched a coordinated operation to recover the missing child.
However, the rescue team encountered serious difficulties due to the volume of water and thick mud at the bottom of the well. Efforts to drain the water did not yield the desired result, forcing the responders to seek the assistance of a specialist local diver.
The diver reportedly conducted a final search but concluded that the toddler had sunk deep into the mud and could not be recovered. Only one shoe belonging to the child was found, according to the statement.
Oke-Osanyintolu commiserated with the deceased man’s family and the Hausa community, describing his attempt to save the toddler as an act of bravery. He urged residents to cover and secure wells and other dangerous openings in their homes, particularly where young children are present, and advised the public to call the emergency numbers 767 or 112 rather than undertake hazardous rescue attempts themselves.
