The mysterious death of eight young men in an under-ground tank in Enugu community remains to be unraveled even as relations unburdened their pains. Writes CHUKS NWAEZE.
For a long time to come, it would remain a mystery how eight young men who went to rescue somebody trapped in a tank also died in the same underground water tank under construction at Igogoro, Igbo-Eze North local government area of Enugu state last week.
Of all the people that died that fateful day, Monday July 21, 2019, only one person came from outside Enugu Ezike community. One was a native of Igogoro where the unfortunate incident took place but the other persons came from neighbouring communities of Ogwugwu and Amachalla. What is more pathetic is that they are from the same kindred. Their names are Umueze Umuja, Amuche Abugu, Emeka Abugu, Ifeanyi Abugu, Oluchi Eze, Omekeya and Ejike Onu.
The other hapless two are plumbers who hailed from Isi-Uzo local government area of the state. They brought about the death of the other seven who heard his cry for help but came and met their own death that fateful evening.
Blueprint gathered that the only indigene of Igogoro that died was Uche Idoko who showed sympathy for his friend, Oluchi Eze, by going to rescue him, unfortunately he got stuck and died.
When the incident started
On that fateful day, a man from Isi Uzo was hired by one Stephen Mamah, son of Alfred Mamah to evacuate water from the tank so that finishing touches could be done before pipe would be connected to it to harvest rain water from the roof of the house under construction. Unconfirmed report has it that as he tied a water pump machine to a ladder inside the tank, probably the fume from the generator must have forced people to gasp for breath.
As he saw that he might die, he shouted for help and people who came to help could not come out. Some part of the top of the tank had to be forced open to allow air to come in before the deceased could be scooped from the tank.
Eye witness accounts
A villager by the name Ugokwe who spoke to newsmen said, “Four of the people that died were digging foundation for another building adjacent the one that caused the deaths.” According to him, “Stephen even gave them money as it is the tradition in the village that where someone is digging a foundation for a house, it is seen as a good thing and neighbours contribute cash and goods to show that they are happy with the development. Shortly after Stephen had given the labourers N2,000.00 to buy drinks and he left, sporadic shouts came from his house that somebody was dying in a pity. That was how the victims went to help and they all died one by one.”
However, one young man from Igogoro whose name was given as Ifeanyi Nwonu was said to have used his phone to call people to come and help but he himself did not go in to help.
Ifeanyi Eze, a carpenter and elder brother of the late Oluchi narrated how he too escaped death.
“I went to roof a house somewhere and when I was informed about the incident, I went inside the tank because my younger brother was in there. As I went into the tank, something was affecting my throat and my eyes. I struggled to come out, lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital to regain consciousness,” he narrates.
Narrating the incident further, he said, “My wife called me to come that somebody fell into the pit. When I went there, I saw that people inside were struggling to come out. There was a generator inside the tank and might be the cause of the smoke that suffocated them.
“I was not seeing clearly when I came out. It was not the water in the tank that killed the people but heat and something that has the smell of a tear gas.
“There was actually no smoke inside but you have a feeling that something is entering your eyes.
” I was told that the owner of the house came earlier and gave them N2,000.00 to buy drink and 15 minutes after he left, the accident happened,” he narrated.
According to Ifeanyi, he was told that a certain Ifeanyi Nwonu from Igogoro alerted others about the incident that attracted his kinsman, Uche Idoko who came to help but also died.
He disclosed that there was a ladder in the tank and a generator of which water pump was tied to where people, including himself, went in.
He lamented that while there was shouting and wailing, it surprised him that people from Igogoro did not come to help except the late Uche Idoko.
Victim’s relations unburden pains
Caroline Eze, mother of one of the victims, Omekeya Eze, said that Omekeya was her last male child and narrated what she witnessed.
“I heard shouting and wailing. When I went out, I discovered that my son, Ekene Eze was involved. His elder brother, Omekeya told me to go home and I went back only to learn that he too went in because his brother Ekene was there. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she narrated her ordeal.
A villager, Chinyere Eze, said that the deaths were not ordinary and called for proper investigation into the incident. “This thing is not ordinary; how can all of them die when there is not enough water in the tank. They have been building underground water tanks before now but I have never heard such a thing like this, ” she laments.
Mrs Maria Onu, mother of late Ejike Onu narrated how the incident affected her.
“Ejike had finished digging foundation, came back and was about eating the food I presented to him when he heard shouts, went there but never came back.
“When he heard the shouting, he thought people were fighting and went there in his motorcycle. I held him and told him not to go into the tank but he refused and went in. Immediately he went in, he began to gasp for air. I watched him die. I am finished. I am tired,” she laments.
“I don’t know if there was something they put in that tank that sucked people; the water was not much but people could not come out. Something was wrong somewhere. That is all I can say,” she blurted out amid tears.
Mary Eze, mother of late Oluchi Eze, who was surrounded by sympathisers, said on the fateful day, one of her sisters was roofing her house and she went to felicitate with her.
“My sister was roofing her house and I went to see her. As I was there, I overheard my son, Ifeanyi, answering phone and he was talking about a tank. He went out and that was how he saw his brother Oluchi dying,” she cried.
Mr John Abugu, a brother to one of the victims, Emeka Abugu said that Emeka just returned from a neighbouring village and heard the news that people were trapped in a tank and that was how he left and never came back.
“My people are sad but the police have told us not to do any riot over the incident.
“Emeka’s mother died just last year; it is a pity that he too died this way this year,” he laments.
According to him, they had gone to the elders of Amachalla who have decided to meet with Igogoro elders to discuss the incident. He said they are hoping that the boys would be buried one day because they are from the same kindred.
At the time of filing the report, the traditional ruler of Amachalla, Igwe Gabriel Agbedo, could not be reached for as he was said to be going about on how to handle the issue for the deceased to be buried.
