The life of a 52-year-old man, Ishaku Lawal, has been cut short inside an abandoned well which he was contracted to clear in Liasu Road, Idimu area of Lagos State.
Residents of the area were said to have intended to get the well cleared to allow them fetch rain water, so they hired the deceased to to do the job on Saturday, May 22, 2016.
Unfortunately, Lawal was said to have died on the spot after he hit his head against an object in the course of clearing the well.
His lifeless remains was subsequently evacuated from the well by officials of the state fire service.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, said preliminary investigation showed that the well had been abandoned for a long time.
He said, “The people in the house, however, thought they could clean it up to collect rain water.
“Lawal, a Hausa man, was given the job, but he was midway into the well when he hit his head against an object.
“Our officers from the Ikotun station were called to the scene and they recovered him dead. The body was handed over to policemen from the Ikotun division.”
The fire service boss observed the spate of death associated with well digging in the state.
He advised residents to seek the support of the government before working on their wells as they have devised some safety measures with the provision of rescue ropes and other safety apparatus.
He said: “The government is spending a lot of money to forestall loss of lives; people need to cooperate by applying for the equipment.”
