Residents of Oke Ola Street in Iberekodo Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital were Friday night thrown into mourning when a huge rock reportedly shifted off its base and fell on a ‘room and parlour’ apartment, crushing four persons to death.
The deceased, one Mrs. Silifat Lawal, her two daughters (one 15-year-old Rasheedat, the other unnamed) four-year-old Semia and Sukurat, all members of the same family, reportedly had their dinner and went to bed earlier than usual as a result of heavy rain before the incident occurred.
The deceased’s neighbour, speaking anonymously, said, “At about 9pm, a huge rock, which had been sitting a distance to the building for the past eight years, tumbled off its base, and rolled towards the apartment of the Lawals and crushed them to death,” PunchMetro reports.
One Mrs. Khadijat Adegoke, another neighbour to the deceased who said the sound of the impact of the cascading rock was dwarfed by the heavy rain, said they (neighbours) got to know when late Silifat’s husband, Ismail Lawal, rushed out and shouted for help.
She said, “The incident happened around 9pm. The rain was very heavy since 5pm. When the rock shifted and crushed them, we didn’t hear because of the sound of the rain.
“The husband came out shouting. We rushed there only to find out that all the four of them had been crushed to death. Neighbours rushed to the scene but could do nothing as the victims had already been crushed.
“The husband was sleeping in the sitting room. That was why he escaped death with another daughter, Rafia.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Muyiwa Adejobi who reportedly confirmed the incident, said according to Lawal, their corpses have been taken away by other family members who were invited.
Adejobi also noted that the clan head of the community would be contacted so they could look into the matter and curb any of such occurrences in the future.
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