Tragedy struck in the Ijegun area of Lagos State after a woman lost her life by falling into a 170-foot well located within a construction site.
The incident occurred at Abuba Anthony Street, near Obalagbe Bus Stop, close to Fadeko International Hotel.
According to a statement issued by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service on Friday, July 11, 2025, the tragic event was first reported on the evening of Monday, June 30, 2025. The Service’s Senior Public Affairs Officer, Maria Fadairo, confirmed that they received a distress call at about 7:34 p.m. that day.
Responders from the Ejigbo Fire Station were promptly dispatched to the scene, where they discovered that an adult female had fallen into an uncovered deep well situated at the front of an ongoing building project.
The one-storey structure, which remains under construction, is located on a fenced 648-square-metre plot and is designed to contain six two-bedroom flats.
Due to the challenging nature of the emergency, a coordinated multi-agency rescue and recovery operation was immediately activated.
Despite the urgency and scale of the response, the search extended over several days. It was not until Thursday, July 10, that the woman’s lifeless body was successfully retrieved from the well.
The recovery effort was spearheaded by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service in collaboration with other critical emergency and security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), and the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), among others.
“The victim was recovered dead and handed over to officials of SEHMU, while the Lagos State Ambulance Service stood by as the Nigeria Police observed proceedings,” the statement added.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, extended her heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. “We express our deepest sympathies to the bereaved family and commend the dedication of all the responding agencies,” she stated.
Adeseye also used the opportunity to highlight the critical importance of enforcing safety measures at construction sites. “Leaving a 170-foot-deep well uncovered at a construction site is a grave safety oversight that poses a fatal risk to the public and must be prevented,” she warned.
Further investigations into the incident are ongoing and are being handled by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.