A yet-to-be-identified boy has reportedly died inside a car belonging to his parents? neighbour on Alimi Oke Street, Oshodi, Lagos.

Multiple residents on the street, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Friday, said the incident happened last Sunday, and the boy had already been buried.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deceased and other children in the compound usually played in the neighbour?s car whenever he returned from work.

?The children in the compound used to rush into the man?s car to greet him when he arrived from work. They all live in the same house.

?As usual, the boy entered the car on Sunday, but the owner didn?t realise he was inside. He locked the vehicle and went out,? the source said.

According to the source, the boy?s parents began searching for him hours later, and he had already passed away by the time they discovered he was locked inside the car.

When Saturday PUNCH visited the house, a three-story building painted yellow and deep brown, two men sitting in front of a shop on the ground floor denied knowledge of the incident, saying they only rented the shop.

However, many residents in nearby houses confirmed the incident.

A resident, standing near the building, said, ?I don?t know whether the boy?s parents would want this issue reported. The fact is, it really happened. But I?m hearing people saying the family may not want to talk about it.?

Another resident questioned the need for media coverage. ?Why would you be reporting this? It?s a family matter. They shouldn?t bring it out,? he said.

A woman living a short distance from the house said people were reluctant to speak about the incident.

?Since the boy has already been buried, I think people are scared to talk about it, so it won?t seem like they were the ones who leaked the information,? she said.

However, the Lagos State Police Command said it was unaware of the case, as no official report was made.

The spokesperson for the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, when contacted, said the police had no record of the incident.

?There was no such report. I am sure of that. It is possible it happened, but they didn?t inform the police. I am very sure there was nothing like that,? he said.

A source within the neighbourhood, who pleaded anonymity, blamed the tragedy on parental negligence.

?If they had raised the alarm earlier after not seeing him for a while, the boy wouldn?t have suffocated and died in the vehicle,? the source said. (Saturday PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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