The identities of the eight children who died inside an abandoned car in Badagry area of Lagos have been unveiled.
One of the children was the grand child of the owner of the car, a retired staff of the Lagos State University, LASU who died sometimes ago.
The other seven children belonged to Bureau De Change operators in the area.
The bodies of the children were recovered from the car amidst weeping and wailing.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the death of the children, saying they were suffocated inside the abandoned car.
Lagos Police Seals Dowen College
Mr Suru Avoseh, Commissioner, Lagos State Civil Service Commission, told NAN that the abandoned car belonged to a retired LASU staff who is now late.
According to him, the car was forced opened by one of the children who was the grand child of the owner while the other seven are Nigerians residing in the area.
“The other seven kids are children of Bureau De Change Operators living in the community. The children forced the door of vehicle opened, entered and closed the door.
“No ventilation and nobody knew something was wrong and they suffocated and died. It wasn’t a kidnapping incident or any foul play by anyone. It is unfortunate,” he said.
The parents of the eight children have buried them amidst tears.
The children were buried according to Islamic rites on Sunday morning, without an autopsy conducted on them.
Mark Akande, the founder of Society for Youth Advancement and Creativity Initiative (SHACo), who visited the scene on Sunday, gathered that the incident happened around 5p.m. on Saturday and the children were buried after attempts to conduct autopsy on them failed.
The parents reportedly took the children to the General Hospital at Badagry, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where they were told to bring N100, 000 each for the hospital to conduct autopsy on the children.
“The parents decided not to take them for autopsy at LUTH. They said it is against Islamic laws to spend money on the dead,” Mr Akande said.
The police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, earlier confirmed that the children reportedly entered a parked vehicle while playing around and died from suffocation.
One of the elders in the neighbourhood, who declined giving his name, said the children were supposed to be at Islamic lessons at the time of the incident, and no one suspected that they had entered a parked vehicle.
Afsat Isiaka, a mother who lost three children to the incident, was found in a mourning state amidst sympathisers in her compound, which was close to where the incident happened.
“I know no wetin happen, my second sef go find the children, the woman sef stay inside compound and call me say make I come, na so I find the children inside car, all of children don die, ” she said in pidgin English.
She said the children were foaming in the mouth by the time they were brought down from the vehicle.
Her children, Abdulwahab Isiaka, Yakub Isiaka, and Zainab Isiaka were 11, 5 and 3 years old respectively.
Ibrahim Jubril, a father to two of the deceased children, was also found surrounded by sympathisers in his compound.
Mr Jubril said they had already recovered the bodies of the children before he got to the scene.
“They said they wan carry them to hospital and me I be Muslim. We carried then to General Hospital, that same yesterday, police gave us paper, they say they want to transfer us to Ikeja, LUTH. They said each person is N100, 000 to check, that is N800, 000 for eight of them,” he said.
He said he has written a statement at the police station with respect to the incident.
Mr Jubril’s immediate brother also lost two children to the incident, while one of the eight children is the grandson of the owner of the vehicle.
The woman in whose car the children were found dead is currently in custody of the Area K Police Command in Badagry, Lagos, Premium Times reports.
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