A married man with a family has passed away after accidentally slipping into a gutter in Lagos during which he was swept away by water as all efforts to rescue his trapped body proved abortive.
Yinka Talabi
The victim, Yinka Talabi who was married with children, was said to be returning home when there was a downpour which flooded the road.
According to the Punch, as the victim attempted to jump over a gutter, one of his legs was said to have been trapped. Eyewitnesses told a correspondent that efforts to save him were abortive, adding that the 38-year-old did not struggle with the surge.
His remains were said to have been recovered in a swamp on Odediran Street on Sunday morning. A bundle of naira notes and a teller were reportedly found on him.
A trader, Jane Nwosu, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said it happened around 1pm. She said, “The man had just come out of the bank and he was about to cross the gutter when his feet slipped. People tried to rescue him but his head was stuck in the drainage.
“He appeared weak and did not struggle to save himself. The flood swept him through the drainage and everybody was helpless.”
A friend of the victim, who identified himself as Korede, said Talabi had been sick and had been admitted to a private hospital before he was discharged on Friday.
A relative, Ibikunle Oguntamu, said the family did not know he had been swept away by flood. He said after Talabi did not return home on Friday evening, they became apprehensive, adding that they reported a case of missing person to the police.
Police investigation then eventually revealed his whereabout and the incident that had happened.