A civil servant, Oyeniyi Adenike, has called for investigation into the death of her two-year-old daughter, Rachael in the Egbeda area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the victim was living with her mother in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where she was attending kindergarten.
The father, Gbenga, was said to have taken her to his Lagos residence on Jezza Street, in the Egbeda area on Monday.
The child was reported to be playing with other children in the neighbourhood when she fell and drowned in an 80-foot well in the house around 5pm same Monday.
Her mother, Adenike, however, told PUNCH Metro that circumstances surrounding the death of the child made it difficult for her to believe that the drowning was an accident.
She said her issue with her husband of four years started after she insisted that Racheal should begin her education in Abeokuta.
She said, “I am a civil servant and I live in Abeokuta, while my husband stays in Lagos. But every weekend, I travel to Lagos to meet him. We have two children – Rachael and Emmanuel.
“The only issue between us was that he wanted her to school in Lagos, but I refused because I thought she needed me around her for monitoring.
“In September, 2015, I took her to a school where she started attending kindergarten. I was the one paying her school fees.
“On Monday, April 18, 2016, around 9am, I was bathing Emmanuel when I suddenly heard footsteps. I peeped from the bathroom and I saw it was my husband. He had Rachael on his lap. I greeted him, but he didn’t answer. As I returned to continue bathing my second child, he said goodbye and left.”
She said she went downstairs and tried to catch up with him, but could not find him, adding that he drove off in his car.
Adenike told our correspondent that she immediately came to Lagos and visited the Social Welfare department of a police station in the Agege area to report the case.
The police allegedly chased her out of the station.
She said she went to her husband’s residence in the Egbeda area.
“When my child saw me, she put on her shoes to follow me, but my husband started abusing me.
“I was taking the child away, when he forcefully took the child back. My child started crying. I called his relative and begged that they talk to him, but he refused and said the child must stay with him,” she added.
She said she left the house around 3pm and that it was in the evening that her father received a call informing him that the child was dead.
Adenike said the Gowon Estate Police Divisional Officer called the family into his office and asked that the child be buried and the matter settled without any investigation into the death.
“They said she drowned in a well, how could a two-year-old climb a well? My child was crying that she wanted to follow me, but he refused. Now she is dead,” she said.
When contacted, Gbenga declined comment.
“Look, I am not in the mood,” he said, and cut the call.
However, residents of the area said Rachael was playing with other children in the neighbourhood when she fell into the well.
Her aunt, Romoke, said, “We were together, but she went to play with other children. She was jumping on the cover of the well and before I knew what was happening, I didn’t see her again.”
Some residents were said to have brought out the victim dead.
The Director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, said, “The girl climbed the well and fell into it. She was in a state of coma when we brought her out.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that investigations were on.
She said, “The division is still investigating the case and the leadership of the command is awaiting the report.”
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