Tragedy struck in the Mushin area of Lagos State after a 35-year-old tricycle rider, Olalekan Salisu, fell into a soakaway in his house and died.

He was said to be starting his small generator on the soakaway around 9pm on Sunday when the slab covering the soakaway gave way.

The generator and the Ogun State indigene were said to have fallen into the soakaway.

Residents said it took about five hours before the victim, who was married with two kids, could be brought out. He was brought out dead.

Tension was still high on Wednesday when PUNCH Metro visited the scene of the incident, a two-storey building on Anipele Street, Olorunshogo, Mushin.

Our correspondent observed that two fresh concrete slabs had been prepared to replace the damaged one which was at the back of the house.

Faeces, said to have been drained out of the soakaway with pumping machines in frantic bid to remove the victim, were still in the gutters in the area.

Some of the deceased’s co-tenants, however, denied living in the house or knowing about the incident. They declined to talk to PUNCH Metro.

One particularly threatened to beat up our correspondent. One of the tenants, who did not identify himself, asked our correspondent to leave immediately.

He said, “Look, everybody is sad. The man that died here is young and his family has left the house for their home town after the incident. The landlord does not live here with us. If you want to get any information, come back when his family returns or when everybody is in a good mood.”

However, some residents of the area claimed that the tenants were trying to cover up what had happened in the house.

A resident, John Ademola, who said he was among those that attempted to save the victim on the night of the incident, explained that the tenants usually put generators on the soakaway which must have weakened the slab and caused the tragedy.

He said, “On that night, the man, who lived on the second floor, came outside to turn on his generator after a power outage.

“The generator, which was on the soakaway, started working and as the man was about leaving, the soakaway caved in and he and the generator fell inside.

“As he was going down, he shouted for help and that was what made people know that something bad had happened.”

Our correspondent learnt that all attempts to remove him proved abortive, until someone called men of the Lagos State Fire Service.

The firemen were said to have inserted pipes into the soakaway to drain the wastes after which the victim was brought out dead.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, while confirming the incident, said a fireman, Joshua Akindele, descended into the soakaway to evacuate the victim.

He said, “The fireman went in with a sealing hook and a ladder. With the aid of the hook, he found the location where the victim was buried in the faeces. He then went into the basement of the septic tank using the ladder.

“He used a side of the victim’s shoulder to bring him up and tied a rescue rope over his body before drawing him up.It was a difficult situation.”

Fadipe warned people in the state to avoid using septic tank as a passageway or a facility for storage of generators, which could weaken the slabs and lead to avoidable disaster.

SOURCE: http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/tricyclist-falls-into-soakaway-while-starting-generator/

FP pls.......

FG & minister of power should held responsible for the death of Olalekan because, they've lied to us several time that by dis time Nigeria will be experiencing steady power supply but; look at where we are now. Had it been that there was light, do u think dat mr. Olalekan will b dead by now Please don't see as an APC fella because, I'm not & never intended being 1. But the truth remains that FG & minister of power should know that they are the cause of mr. Olalekan's death..


RIP to the dead!
MODs lalastic tins abeg..

pishures or APC is at work again with their certificateless cattle rearer buhari

Sad

Eeeyaaa.... Who will now vote for jonathan?

Imagine choking inside feaces, it will never be our portion ijn

Sad!Meanwhile Nigerians do take unwarranted risk.A generator on soakaway will always vibrate and will be weaken the strongness of the slab.

And we are about casting votes..still I hear dem say 'we'll generate 100000mpw in 1yr...Bastards

The kind thing that kills in Nigeria. RIP to the deceased

but lesson to those that keeps their generator on top soak-away. many are guilty of it

Taylor86:
pishures or APC is at work again with their certificateless cattle rearer buhari

I knew it! Big Mouth! What Apc's concern with this?

don't blame any political party..y did he keep his generator on the soakaway?its not advisable to walk on it,talkless of keeping heavy things on it.RIP to d dead tho.