The Chief Imam of Onirin Mosque in the Epetedo Area of Lagos Island, Suleiman Ganiyu, has lamented the death of his son, Ibrahim, who was allegedly crushed to death by a Ford car with number plate KRD-437-EJ.
The car was reportedly driven by one Neil Iwara in the Ilubirin area of Adeniji-Adele, Lagos State.
Lamenting, the Chief Imam said, “I am in deep shock; I can’t believe that my son is gone. I saw him before I went out for a ceremony on the day of the incident; and now, he is dead. He died few days after his birthday.”
PUNCH Metro learnt from Ganiyu that his son, who reportedly went to play football with his friends on Sunday, November 11, 2018, was declared missing when efforts by the family to find him proved abortive.
The father of six explained that his friends assisted in posting Ibrahim’s pictures on the social media in a bid to find the boy, adding that police officers attached to the Adeniji-Adele Police Station later informed him of the death of his son.
The 51-year-old indigene of Kwara State narrated, “I saw him before going out for a ceremony that day. When I got back, he had yet to return, so I was worried. I even thought maybe he had missed his way home, so I informed his mother and we began searching all around for him.
“I visited several police stations to report my missing son; and my friends also assisted in posting his pictures and information about him on Facebook.
“The police called around noon on Wednesday, November 14, to inform me that a car knocked him down and that they had been looking for his family. I quickly rushed to the station to confirm that it was my son and was told that he had been taken to the hospital. I was surprised that I was directed to the mortuary when I got to the hospital and it was there that they told me that my son gave up inside their vehicle.”
The Chief Imam added, “Those who witnessed the accident told me that Ibrahim, who had gone to play football with his friends, wanted to cross the expressway when he got knocked down by the car. I never knew he played football, because he was deaf and dumb.
“He took advantage of my absence by going out with his friends to play football. I have retrieved his corpse and buried him according to Islamic rites. I also told the police that I was not interested in pressing charges against the driver of the vehicle that knocked down my son.”
The mother of the deceased, Risikat, who does not reside with Suleiman, said the cleric had turned down her request to have Ibrahim in her custody because he needed to be properly monitored.
The 36-year-old Risikat said, “I went to search for him at the Berger Police Station, because I felt he might have missed his way while coming to where I stay at Ibafo. It was on Wednesday that I was informed of his death. It’s bad news for me because while we were busy searching for him, it never occurred to me that he could be dead.
“I don’t stay with my husband, but when he informed me that he usually got home around 10pm, I told him it was not right. At the beginning of this year, I sought his permission to have Ibrahim live with me, but he (Suleiman) did not accept. What he told me was that I should look for a school for students with special needs because of his condition, but he used that to delay me from taking custody of my son.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said the boy, who was initially declared missing, was knocked down by a vehicle at Ilubirin in the Adeniji-Adele area of Lagos.
He added that the boy was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where he reportedly died.
Oti stated, “The boy was a missing child because his parents had been searching for him. Unknown to them, he got knocked down by a car at Ilubirin, outward Lagos and close to under the Adeniji-Adele bridge. He was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where he died.
“When the parents of the boy were contacted, they requested for his remains so that they could bury him in accordance to Islamic burial rites. The case is being investigated at the Adeniji-Adele Police Station and the driver has been arrested for questioning.”