At the Grand Bank Link Hotels along Idiroko Road in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State, an 11-year-old boy, Iremide Opeifa, lost his life after drowning in the hotel's swimming pool.
The tragic event occurred on a Sunday evening, leaving the community in shock and grief.
According to reports, Iremide had finished helping his mother at her shop in the vicinity before he ventured to the hotel where the unfortunate incident took place. It was alleged by Kehinde Opeifa, the deceased's maternal aunt, that the hotel staff failed to provide any immediate medical assistance to Iremide after he was discovered in the pool. Shockingly, there was no lifeguard present at the premises to ensure the safety of swimmers.
Recounting the harrowing moments, Kehinde Opeifa said, "No effort was even made to take him to the hospital; they just left him there on the floor." Despite the family's desperate attempts to seek medical help, Iremide was rejected by two hospitals before being pronounced dead upon arrival at the third.
The family's anguish was further compounded by the alleged lack of action from the police following the incident. Modupe Babafemi, another relative, claimed that the authorities did not inspect the boy's body or take any meaningful steps to investigate the matter. Moreover, they purportedly pressured the grieving mother into signing an affidavit to forgo legal action.
In response to inquiries, the hotel's legal representative, Israel Ozolua, asserted that the boys involved did not utilize the lifeguards provided by the facility. He stated, "There are so many facilities provided by the hotel which include life jackets and those that look like tubes. But the boy did not make use of any."
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