Sunday, November 27, 2022 was a tragic day for the people of Rumuokowu Community, near the main gate of Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, when a walled fence collapsed and killed an eight-year-old girl.
The little girl whose identity is yet to be confirmed, was an orphan that lived with her aunty as a maid. The deceased was said to be passing by the fence around 10 pm when suddenly the fence collapsed and fell on her. There was a reported heavy downpour shortly before the incident occurred.
Narrating the incident to National Point, an indigene of the community, Comrade Lucky Ejekwu, said, “I live directly opposite where the incident happened, the tragic incident happened around 10p.m in the night. There was a very heavy downpour, the rain started about 8pm that day.
“After the rain the small girl, whose name I don’t know, but who stayed in the neighbourhood with her aunty (she was like a servant to the woman) was passing by before the fence fell on her. Nobody expected such a thing to happen. We started taking off the rubbles before we saw her lifeless body. We rushed her to the hospital where she was confirmed dead.
“We then carried her dead body to the auntie’s house within the neighbourhood. The lady broke down in tears over the death of her maid.
“Contacts were made to reach out to the owner of the property. He came in the following morning and had discussions with the family of the deceased and they had an understanding after which they went to the police to make entry and the police gave them permission to carry the corpse to Abia State, where the deceased hailed from for burial.”
Comrade Ejekwu advised property owners to always monitor their property and fix defects on them promptly. “Property owners should watch out whenever their property begins to have cracks or seem not strong enough. They should pull it down and build another fence and not wait till it takes lives or destroys other properties before they attend to it.”
When National Point visited the house where the incident occurred, a security guard said the deceased’s aunty had packed out of the place.
The guard, who revealed that the woman had planned to relocate before the incident occurred, said he did not know where she relocated to.
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