In other news…. A 3-year-old boy, Chibuike Uba, has tragically died after falling into an open soakaway in the Babarinsa area of Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.

The incident occurred while his mother was visiting her aunt. His slippers were found near the soakaway, prompting a search that ended in tragedy.

In a voice note sent to Punch on Thursday, Utoro, who had since remained inconsolable, said, “I visited my aunt and was packing my bags to head back home when she received a call and my son followed her outside. I continued packing, assuming he was still with her. When she came back inside, I asked about my son’s whereabouts, and she claimed he had returned inside. I said no and quickly rushed outside to search for him but couldn’t find him.

“That was when I noticed his slippers near the soakaway on the next compound beside the house because it has no fence. I immediately shouted that my baby was inside the soakaway. That was how we quickly made efforts to pull him out and rushed him to the hospital.”

The grieving mother said Chibuike was rushed to a hospital and later referred to Akodo General Hospital, where he was placed on oxygen but confirmed dead. She blamed the landlord, claiming her aunt had warned him multiple times to seal the open soakaway.

“My aunt called the man and said she had repeatedly warned him to close the soakaway, but he kept promising to. Even the plank that my aunt used to cover it was damaged by the flood. As I speak to you, the soakaway is still open.”

A human rights advocate and founder, Harmony Advocacy Network, Harmony Tachie, told the publication on Thursday that the landlord does not stay in the community.

“We have been unable to reach the landlord because he does not stay in the area. We are also trying to ensure that the incident is reported at the police station to get justice,” she said.