Toddler Still Missing As Lagos Logs Three Well-Related Deaths

A series of well-related incidents in Lagos State over the past 16 months has left people dead, others rescued and a toddler missing, raising concerns about the dangers posed by deep wells in residential areas and construction sites.

The incidents, reported between June 2025 and October 2026, involved a woman who died after falling into a 170-foot well, two men rescued from wells in separate incidents and a man who died while attempting to save a toddler who fell into a domestic well.

The latest incident occurred on October 20, 2026, at Paul Street, inward Agbe Road, Abule Egba, when a two-year-old child fell into a domestic well.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency disclosed that a resident who attempted to rescue the toddler became trapped in the well and died.

According to a statement by LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the agency received a distress call at 9.48am and immediately deployed its response team from the Igando Base.

Emergency responders, working with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police Force, launched a coordinated operation to recover the toddler.

However, the high volume of water and thick mud at the bottom of the well hampered the rescue efforts.

A specialist local diver was subsequently deployed for a final search but reported that the toddler’s body had sunk deep into the mud and could not be recovered. Only one shoe was found.

“The gallant rescuer who attempted the rescue was recovered deceased,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

“A specialist local diver was eventually deployed for a final search and confirmed that the toddler’s body had gone deep into the mud and could no longer be recovered, with only a single shoe recovered.”

The deceased rescuer’s remains were handed over to his relatives and members of the Hausa community for burial in accordance with their customs.

In another incident on March 22, 2026, firefighters rescued a knife-wielding man from a deep well in the Owutu area of Ikorodu.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said its personnel from the Ikorodu Fire Station responded to the incident after it was reported at about 7am.

The agency’s Controller-General, Margaret Adeseye, said the man was inside the well holding a knife and resisting rescue efforts.

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force from the Owutu Division assisted the firefighters during the operation, which ended with the man being brought out alive.

Earlier, on January 27, 2026, firefighters rescued an 84-year-old man who fell into a well at No. 35A, Fadeyemi Street, Pipeline, Aboru, in the Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos.

Adeseye said the agency received a distress call at about 10.09am and deployed personnel from the Abesan Fire Station, who arrived at the scene approximately 11 minutes later.

The well was estimated to be about 140 feet deep.

The fire service said preliminary observations suggested a suspected case of attempted suicide because the well was adequately protected and securely covered.

The elderly man was rescued alive and handed over to his family for further medical attention. The circumstances surrounding his fall were to be investigated.

Meanwhile, a woman died after falling into a 170-foot well at a construction site on Abuba Anthony Street, near Obalagbe Bus Stop in Ijegun, Lagos.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said it received a distress call at about 7.34pm on June 30, 2025, reporting that a woman had fallen into the well at the front of a one-storey building under construction.

The operation involved several emergency and security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Ambulance Service and the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit.

After days of coordinated efforts, the woman’s body was recovered on July 10, 2025, and handed over to officials of the environmental health monitoring unit.

The State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, was subsequently tasked with further investigations into the incident.

The recurring incidents highlight the dangers associated with deep wells, particularly when people fall into them or attempt rescues without specialised equipment and adequate safety precautions.

Following the latest tragedy, LASEMA urged residents to ensure that wells and other openings within residential premises were properly covered, raised and secured, especially in homes where young children live.

The agency also advised residents against attempting dangerous rescue operations themselves, urging them to contact emergency responders through the toll-free numbers 767 and 112.