A 16-year-old apprentice barber identified as Dimeji was reportedly swept away on Friday after a torrential rainfall in a gully erosion around St Anthony Secondary School, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Dimeji was said to have accidentally stepped into the canal, thinking there was a pedestrian plank that crossed gully, and was swept away by the erosion.

A viral video circulating on Saturday showed how the corpse of the young boy was retrieved from the gully.

The video was accompanied by a condolence message explaining that the victim was not a student but a barber apprentice around Awokoya, Ijebu-Ode.

The message read, “With a heavy heart, we share the sorrowful news of a young life lost to the devastating erosion in Ijebu Ode this evening.

“The victim, an apprentice barber at Awokoya, has been confirmed to be a non-student.

“Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his mother, who sells “fufu” at the same location.

“May his soul rest in peace, and may his family find comfort in this difficult time,” it added.

A source confirmed the incident on Saturday.

The source who pleaded anonymity said “Yes, what you saw in the video is true, the boy, Dimeji actually slipped into the canal. What happened was that he escorted his friend to take a motorcycle, while the friend sat on the bike and went away he erroneously put his leg in the water thinking that he was stepping on the plank and that was how he was swept away.”

Efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, for comment on the incident, were unsuccessful, as her phone calls went unanswered and WhatsApp messages remained unanswered at the time of this report’s filing. (Courtesy, excluding headline, The PUNCH)