Metro
5 year old drowns during swimming lesson
A tragic incident has been reported to have occurred on Monday, the 15th May in Ogba, Lagos State as a 5 year old pupil of Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, identified as Chidera Eze drowned during swimming lessons.
The swimming class was organized by the school at the Ivory Health Club, Ogundana Street, in Ikeja in which Chidera and friends were said to have been playing at the edge of the pool when he had slipped into it.
The deceased’s father, Anthony, told reporters that the teachers, caregivers and lifeguards were unaware that his son had slipped into the pool until he had drowned.
The father was quoted as saying, “I dropped my children at the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School on Acme Road, Ogba, on Monday morning, and I went to work. At 10.52am, I got a call from their head teacher, Mrs Adeola Oladipo, and she told me that my son was involved in an accident and that he had been rushed to the Ikeja Medical Centre.”
CCTV footage from the accident revealed that Chidera had been in the pool for over 30 minutes before he died. The boy’s corpse was said to have been discovered by someone else who came to swim in the pool.
“My son was under the water for over 30 minutes and we were all shouting as we watched the video. Another pupil also fell into the water, but her colleagues raised the alarm and they pulled her out and while this was going on, nobody noticed my son was inside the water.” Anthony lamented.
“My son died because of the recklessness of these people who were supposed to take care of him. I want justice to forestall this kind of thing happening again. The caregivers, lifeguards, school management and the Ivory Health Club can’t go unpunished. My son’s corpse has been deposited in the morgue.”
Benjamin Hundeyin, the State Police Public Relations Officer has revealed some members of the school’s staff and the club has been arrested pending further investigations.
