Pandemonium as students drown in Lagos beach while celebrating

Pandemonium struck on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, after four students drowned at the popular Elegushi Beach in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

The incident happened when 10 secondary school leavers, aged between 14 and 15, went swimming at the beach to celebrate the completion of their West African Senior School Examination (WASSCE)

It was gathered that the students were from the Kuramo Senior College in Lekki.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Elegushi Beach Management, Chief Ayuba Elegushi, in a statement, said the section of the beach where the students drowned was not opened for people to use, adding that the pupils were not properly registered.

His words: “We initially sent them away from the area of the beach they wanted to swim in. Then, they went to another place that was not for the public at all. It was the child of our kinsman, Abass, who took them from school to the beach and those kids followed him.

“They did not pay any gate fee to access the beach. Abass used the leverage that he was one of us to take them through another place.”

Speaking further, the spokesperson of the resort Centre added that the victims drew attention when they raised an alarm as water swept them away.

“Out of the six that were rescued, some escaped by the time we got there. We were able to arrest two of them and we took them to the Jakande Police Station.

“As of now, there are still four missing as our seamen have not been able to bring them out of the water. We have informed their parents and they have come to the police station.

“Abass is one of the missing kids. There is another boy we have not identified and two other girls,” he added.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), who also confirmed the incident, said efforts were ongoing to retrieve the bodies of the missing pupils.