Oge Ndubuisi
A 12-year-old, boy, Iremide Opeyemi, has drowned in a swimming pool at Grand Bank Link Hotel situated along Idiroko road in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.
Iremide had left for the hotel on Sunday evening, to use the swimming pool after helping out his mother at her shop before the incident occurred.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe deceased’s mother, Kehinde Opeife, alleged that no effort was made by the hotel management to resuscitate the boy when he was pulled of water.
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Iremide and his brother were assisting their mother in the shop before she left to buy some things for them as they were planning to resume school on Monday. His brother said he wanted to urinate on their way home, and after that, he did not see him again. So, he went back to the shop.
“While looking for his brother, one of their friends said they saw Iremide at Grand Bank Link Hotels. By the time he got there, he saw Iremide lying lifeless on the floor. That was when he ran home to inform his mum. So, when we got there, we saw the body.
“No effort was even made to take him to the hospital, they just left him there on the floor. We asked the person in charge of the pool why he collected money from such a young boy and allowed him into the swimming pool. So, the mother immediately went to the Police Division at Onipanu Ota to report the incident and thereafter rushed him to the hospital. He was rejected at two different hospitals. When we got to the third one, he was confirmed dead on arrival.”
Modupe Babafemi, another relative of the family alleged that the police did not take any action to view the corpse of the boy after the incident was reported at the station.
Modupe also said that the police made sure the mother of the deceased procure an affidavit not to take any legal action.
She said: “Since we reported the incident to the police, they did not make any attempt to go to the hotel and did not bother to see the corpse. The hospital where he was confirmed dead was even beside the police station yet they did not leave the station to check on him. They were even telling us to get an affidavit to withdraw the case.”
Omolola Odutola, the state police public relations officer confirmed the incident, saying, “There was a report in Onipanu about a drowning incident on Sunday at about 8:40 pm. A woman named Florence Opeifa reported that her 12-year-old son, Iremide Opeifa, was rushed to the hospital after drowning while swimming with friends at the Grand Park Hotel, Ota.
According, to the legal representative of the hotel, Israel Ozolua, told the publication that he was told that the boys did not use the lifeguards provided by the facility before the incident happened.
“Sadly, he was confirmed dead at the hospital. Detectives visited the scene, took photos, and the body was taken to the hospital morgue.”
