2 infants swept away by flood in Ondo

TWO infants, Bamidele Rasheed and Marvellous James, have reportedly been swept away by flood in Akure, the Ondo State capital. Newsmen gathered that the victims were swept away during a downpour which lasted for about an hour in the Akure metropolis. Eyewitness account said that incident happened separately in Oke-Aro area of the metropolis same day. Seven years old Bamidele was said to have left his parents house to visit a friend before the rain started but reportedly fell into a stream behind the “B Division” police station on his way home, just as Marvellous was reported to have gone to empty refuse into the stream before being swept away. Vanguard learnt that the mother of Marvellous, who collapsed on hearing of what happened to her daughter, said she never asked her to dispose of the refuse in the stream. A source said the corpse of Marvellous was later recovered by officials of the State Fire Brigade. When contacted, the state police image maker, Femi Joseph, who confirmed the ugly incident, said that victims were schoolmates. He appealed to parents and guardians to always ensure that their children and wards are kept indoors during the rain to avoid such casualties.