•Policeman who lost four children to mudslide
If I keep talking, I will lose my mind. Four out of nine children just went like that. I saw no sign.
“These were the words of a distraught father, Godwin Odia, whose children, were killed when a mudslide hit his house in Orisha Community at Magodo-Isheri, Lagos on Saturday.
Still in a daze, he told The Nation yesterday that he was yet to comprehend what happened.
Odia, a mobile policeman, is crying for justice. He wants the government to invite the owner of the building which fence collapsed on his house.
Odia said he had been living in his house for 10 years, stating that problem started when the owner of the collapsed fence started building behind his house.
The mudslide occurred around 4.50am on Ottun Araromi Street, Magodo-Isheri, leading to the death of Odia’s four children while sleeping in their rooms.
They were Isayo, 23; Desylva, 15; Clinton, 13 and Endurance, 8.
Odia told The Nation yesterday that he reported the extension behind his house to Isheri Police Station four to five times, without any result.
“Since I couldn’t build on the hilltop, I left them to avoid problems. I didn’t know they were going to harm me this way. The tank filled with water forcefully uprooted the fence and the step leading to the entrance of the room fell on my children’s room. Even on Saturday, occupants of that room escaped through the window because their step was no more. Since then, I haven’t seen them or heard anything from them. They caused the death of my children; they kept extending the building without a solid foundation. When I woke up this morning (yesterday), I saw someone removing the roof of the room.
The residents were still mourning yesterday as all shops were locked.
The Nation learnt that the street was marked recently for road construction.
A trader, who gave her name as Mama Pemisire, said since the incident, she has not been able to sleep at night.
She said she saw the late Clinton last Friday when he came to her shop to buy an exercise book.
“It was indeed a tragic incident. I didn’t know that day was the last I was going to see him. He came with his younger brother Eddie, who is also my children’s friend.
“We are not safe anymore. I have been in this area for over 10 years and we also have residents that have been living here for over 35 years. I didn’t meet the buildings on the hill. They met us here. They see themselves as literate but they all channelled their pipes to our area. They don’t have a drainage system which is bad. Since residents of Olaitan and Opeyemi streets passed their pipes to our street, we have had problems. They should know their building isn’t on a rock. It is a muddy area. Whenever we complained, they threatened us by saying they are government officials and that nothing is going to happen. Now that our buildings have been marked, we don’t know what to do. If we want to squat with people, with time they will get tired of us,” she said.The late Isayo’s friend, who identified himself as Femi Ajetunmobi, said he was with him till 8pm last Friday.
He said the last thing they discussed was how they were going to make it in life.
He said: “We bought biscuit that night and sat on a pavement in front of my house. He said he knew he wasn’t too sound and he was going to enrol in a driving school. I miss his sight and I miss everything about him. Since I moved into this community in 2013, he has been there for me. Even yesterday I had forgotten he was no more. I also heard the sound but I didn’t worry. It was until I heard his father’s voice I ran out of my room.”
Baale of the Community, Chief Lukman Gbadamosi, described the incident as pathetic.
He said he held several meetings with executive of the estate and land speculators concerning their drainage system, but they did nothing.
“They keep saying we have no power over them. Whenever it rains, I personally try to create a way for the water to flow into the river. The erosion from the estate affects us. They even built a pit in front of our house. Maybe after this incident, the government will be able to talk to them since they claim they are government officials. When some government officials came to mark our street for a road construction, we were not against it. We even agreed to remove houses to the other side.”
Executive Secretary, Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Bamise Kazeem, enjoined the community to support the government.
He promised to meet the Baale, land owners and land speculators to resolve the matter amicably.
“Every house here is subject to risk. We need engineering solution to this issue, “ he said
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