A father of three deceased children has begged police in Lagos State to grant him permission to convey their corpses home for burial in his hometown in Ebonyi State.
One Osondu from Izii in Ebonyi State is the father of the children- Uche (three), Marvelous (five) and Lazarus (eight)- said to be playing inside the compound when they entered the jeep and suffocated were seen dead inside their landlord’s Toyota RAV4 in the Imota area of Ikorodu, Lagos State .
A witness said the children were playing with their cousin, Blessing (11), around 11 a.m. on Tuesday inside the compound before they entered the RAV4.
He said nobody could tell why Blessing, who was the most senior, did not enter the car and also failed to raise alarm when she discovered that her cousins had been trapped inside the car.
Some neighbours said Blessing failed to raise alarm out of fear of being flogged for venturing into the area.
Angered by the death, a mob descended on the landlord and beat him until he was rescued by policemen.
The Lagos State police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, who addressed journlaists said the father of the deceased had asked them to put all necessary things in place to allow him convey his children for burial.
The spokesman who had earlier confirmed the incident, said that the Officer in Charge (O/C) Police Family Support Unit (FSU) got a distress call from anonymous callers of a suspected Sudden and Unnatural Death (SUD) by suffocation of under-aged children.
Hundeyin said a patrol team and FSU personnel moved to the scene where they met a crowd that besieged the residence of one Moses in Ikorodu.
He further said, “The father of the deceased children said he was from Izii community in Ebonyi State and a tenant at the aforementioned address. The children were playing with their cousin, one Blessing Hyacinth, a girl of about 11 years, a foster daughter to Mr Osondu, at about 11am inside the landlord’s RAV4 SUV parked in a fenced and gated compound.
“One of them inadvertently pressed the central lock button of the vehicle and it ended up locking the trio till they got suffocated.
‘‘The three children were taken to the Ikorodu General Hospital where they were confirmed dead by medics and their corpses deposited at the hospital’s mortuary for autopsy in the presence of their father.
“The landlord was brought to the station for protective custody and the RAV4 SUV was taken to the station for safekeeping too.’’
The PPRO said Osondu has asked them to formalise all requirements to allow him convey his children for burial.
Meanwhile, Don-prof Kesh, from Ebonyi State, shared a photo of the girls in a Facebook post on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
‘‘Today, I mourn the death of my beloved cousin little sister and her two little brothers who lost their lives due to ugly event. Why has this painful death befall innocent children? Where have we done wrong that we lost three of you at the same place at a time?’’ he queried.
