Tragedy struck in Oremeji, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently when two middle-aged men died in the process of evacuating a “soak-away” pit.The duo, Wasiu, a bricklayer and Solomon, a vulcanizer (surnames withheld) had been employed at No 12, Sobande Avenue, Oremeji, to evacuate a soak-away pit at the back of a two-storey building when the fatal accident occurred, they went into the pit and never came out.
When Daily Sun got to the scene of incident, residents who knew the two men had stormed the area, while some policemen were seen speaking to neighbors in the area. The lifeless bodies were also found laid on the floor by men of the Oyo State Fire Service, who had rushed to the area in the hope of rescuing the two victims.
The two who were allegedly hired by the landlord and tenants had resumed duty early in the morning when the incident occurred. It was gathered that the two had employed a pumping machine to suck out the first set of waste.
They had applied chemical to the last vestiges of the waste when Solomon entered to continue evacuation, but got weak due to heat and the strong smell of the chemical. It was said that Wasiu, who later tried to rescue his colleague also died in the process.
“It was not until 10am that the third person working with them came with pipes and found out that they had died in the pit. He was the one who raised the alarm,” said Adeseun Okunade, a neighbour.
“He said he was at Ijokodo when people came to tell him someone familiar to him had drowned in a soak-away pit: “I just rushed here to meet the policemen on duty and we were asked to wash their bodies.”
Oladimeji Akamo explained that Wasiu and Solomon must have accepted to do the job due to the poor financial situation affecting most artisans in the state, since it was not in their line of trade. Another woman who was being consoled was heard crying that Wasiu had a wife and three children and was reluctant to take the job.
It was gathered from another resident who did not want his name in print that the mother who was brought to the scene had been taken away, having been told her son only sustained minor injuries and had been rushed to the hospital.
The whereabouts of the landlord and tenants are still unknown, as the building has been deserted since the incident occurred.
When contacted, the the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu, who confirmed the report said detectives were immediately dispatched to the scene on getting the report.
He said it was however, unfortunate that the police could not do anything to rescue them: “Efforts are already in place to get relatives of the deceased as preliminary investigation goes on.”