A 17-year-old boy identified as Ifeanyi Onyekwere, has reportedly drowned in a swimming pool in the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos State, few hours after he was assisting his mother at her shop before he left for the college where he died.
While speaking to PUNCH Metro, Ifeanyi’s 48-year-old mother, Ada, said lifeguards at the pool did not watch over the swimmers to keep them safe.
He said, “I was at my shop on Tuesday when a lady came to inform me that they rushed my son to a hospital at the police college. She said my son might have gone to swim because his clothes were wet.
“So, I went to the police college, but they refused to show me his body. After crying and pleading, they said they had taken him out of the place. I never knew he went to swim; we were together at the market before he left me. I did not see him going with anybody.
“I am sure lifeguards were there, but they were not monitoring the swimmers very well. I have not been able to do anything since the incident; my son’s life is more important to me than anything and I am just trying to recover from the shock. I don’t want anything other than him coming back to life.”
While also speaking to a correspondent, Ifeanyi’s elder brother, Benjamin, said he became suspicious over his brother’s death when he saw that his corpse was fully clothed in the mortuary.
The Police College Public Relations Officer, DSP Sholaye Oluwaseyi, disclosed that the college was not in control of the swimming pool, adding that it was run by a separate entity.
When a correspondent visited the swimming pool, it was noted that the entrance was locked. The manager of the swimming pool, who identified himself only as Fatai, refused to comment.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that the command had commenced investigation into the death.