EIGHT children have died in a parked vehicle in Lagos State.
The tragedy occurred at the Jah-Michael community in the Olorunda Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
The children were between ages four and nine years.
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Reports say they suffocated in a Honda Pilot jeep with registration number AAA157BD parked in the compound of one of the deceased mothers, Saliat Kazeem.
Saliat found the lifeless bodies after she searched the surroundings looking for her grandaughter.
Saliat, who owns the house where the car was parked, slept while the children entered the vehicle.
Vanguard reported that the children were from four different families.
A family has three children; another family has two, two belong to yet another, while Saliat Kazeem has one.
The newspaper gave the names of the deceased as Zainab, Tayab, Farida, Mamod, Yakubu, Wahab, Aisha and Saliat Kazeem’s granddaughter.
The incident has thrown the community into chaos and mourning.
Irate youths attempted to set the house ablaze, but the Police prevented them. They, however, succeeded in smashing the car’s screens and glasses.
The Police have since cordoned off the building.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed the incident.
He said, “The eight children were said to have mistakenly locked themselves in an abandoned car while playing. Their bodies have been recovered and deposited at the Badagry General Hospital’s morgue for an autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
“Notwithstanding the report made to the Police, the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered a thorough and speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding their death. The CP also commiserates with the families of the victims.”
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2022. Contact him via email @ [email protected].