By Greg Palmer:
Tragedy struck on Thursday in Onifufu/Aderupagba Compound, in the Oke-Ijeun area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, after a dilapidated mud building collapsed, killing a pregnant woman and her daughter.
The Information as gathered by PUNCH,identified the three months pregnant woman as Kafayat Somoye.
She was reportedly taking her children, Ganiyat and Ganiyu, to school when the wall of the building collapsed on them as they were passing by.
PUNCH gathered information from residents that the wall was weakened by a downpour on Wednesday, collapsed, adding that Ganiyu escaped, but the mother and five-year-old Ganiyat were trapped under the rubble.
Our correspondent gathered that late Somoye was initially rescued alive gasping for breath, but later died while being rushed to the General Hospital in Ijaiye.
When our correspondent visited the scene, the corpses of Somoye and Ganiyat were seen on the ground.
Policemen from the Oke Itoku and Ibara divisions prevented some youths in the area from burning down what was left of the dilapidated building.
An eyewitness, Mrs. Kabirat Sonde, claimed to have escaped death by the whiskers as she was also taking her daughter to school through the same route when the incident occurred.
She said, “I was also taking my child to school. I was behind them and a woman was at the front. The woman was the person that raised the alarm immediately the incident happened.
“The mother (Somoye) was rescued alive, but as she was being rushed to the hospital, she gave up. People did not know immediately that there was a girl trapped under the rubble, it was the same woman in my front that alerted everybody to that fact.”
Another eyewitness, who identified himself as Tajudeen Badru, said, “It happened this morning as the woman was taking her children to school. The older brother was faster, but the woman tried to save the younger one when they were trapped.”
The police were about taking the corpses to the morgue of the general hospital, when the family members of the deceased showed up.
The corpses were released to their relatives.
