A-three-year-old boy has been confirmed dead after falling into an uncovered cesspit in the Igando area of Lagos State.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, revealed the incident on his ‘X’ page on Saturday.

Posting a picture of the cesspit, Hundeyin said: “Somewhere in Igando today, this cesspit was left open. Unfortunately, a 3-year-old fell into it and died. This was totally avoidable!”

The boy was reported missing in the afternoon by his mother, who could not find him where he was expected to be.

She explained during questioning that he had been playing within the compound, and she had allowed him to continue his activities.

The mother’s outcry prompted residents and co-tenants to form a search party, which later traced the boy’s footprints to an area near an open cesspit on the premises.

The police PRO said further checks around the area by the search party led to the discovery of his body inside the pit.

According to Hundeyin, the incident was reported to the police station.

In another ‘X’ post, the PPRO stated that the incident was reported to the police by the landlady of the house.

“Around 7 p.m. today (Saturday), the landlady of the house in the Igando area of Lagos reported via a telephone call that a 3-year-old boy had fallen into her uncovered soakaway pit,” Hundeyin said.

“Detectives led by the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) visited the scene. The body was removed and deposited at Mainland General Hospital, Yaba, for autopsy. The investigation is ongoing,” he added.

This is not the first time such an occurrence has happened in Lagos. In a similar case in the Ebute-Metta axis of Lagos back in 2018, a three-year-old boy named Warris was also declared missing, but his body was found in a cesspit four hours later.

His father, while speaking to the police, said, “His mother went to pick him up at school, and when they got home, his mother changed his clothes, and he went out to play. They don’t normally open the cesspit, but yesterday (Wednesday), they wanted to work on it, so they opened it to bring out water that was inside.” (The Guardian: Text, Excluding Headline)