A man, Mathew Ekpengbe, and his neighbour drowned in a public well on Saturday while trying to rescue the former’s 15-year-old son.
The incident occurred at Oju town of Oju Local Government Area, Benue State.
According to an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the incident took place when Mathew sent his son to fetch water from the well for his car wash business.
Unfortunately, he fell into the well while trying to retrieve a bucket that had slipped in.
Upon seeing his son fall into the well, Mathew rushed to the scene and attempted to rescue him, calling his neighbour to assist him.
“The boy went to fetch water but lost the fetching bucket in the well and in an attempt to retrieve the bucket, he slipped and fell into it.
“His father saw what happened and immediately called a neighbour to join him in rescuing his son from the well. Unfortunately, both of them also ended up falling into the same well,” the source stated.
He also narrated that bystanders who were alarmed by what had happened tried to rescue them. They were dead by the time they were pulled out of the well.
OsunDailyNG gathered that the bodies of the deceased were immediately buried by their family members due to the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Confirming the incident, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Anene Swuese, stated that an investigation into the matter was ongoing.
She stated, “The incident was reported to the police and we have commenced an investigation into the matter. I cannot give further details now.”
