Blessing Bello, Reporting
A 52-year-old man, Alaba Ayeni, has died after allegedly jumping into a surface well in Ilorin, Kwara State, in the early hours of Tuesday.
The state Fire Service confirmed the incident, saying it occurred beside Lamp Bearers Islamic School, off Asa-Dam Road.
Stonix News learnt that the deceased was a neighbour in the community and was discovered by children who raised the alarm.
A source, Ambali Raheem, said: “Children in the community discovered that the man was inside the domestic well and immediately reported the situation to elders in the vicinity,” adding that the location was also close to the residence of the deceased.
The service said it received the distress call and turned out at 08:42hrs. “On arrival, our firefighters commenced a recovery operation and successfully recovered the body of the deceased, identified as Alaba Ayeni, aged 52,” it said.
The state fire service hinted that “after the recovery operation, the body was formally handed over to the DPO Bolaji of Budo-Nuhu Police Station, for further necessary action.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, has raised concern over the incident and urged residents to ensure that domestic wells and other open water sources in residential areas are properly secured to prevent such accidents.
He also advised parents, guardians and community leaders to ensure that children are not allowed to move around unattended near wells, drainage channels and other potentially hazardous areas.
