Digger dies in Ogun well accident

Residents of the Laderin area in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were left in shock after a 32-year-old water driller, Amusan Olanrewaju, tragically lost his life while working inside a well in the community.

PUNCH Metro gathered from the state police command on Thursday that the tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, at about 10 am, in Abule-Oko, Laderin.

Olanrewaju, our correspondent learnt, had been hired by a resident to dig a well on their property.

While the deceased was working inside the well, PUNCH Metro learnt that a bucket filled with sand, which was allegedly being pulled out of the well with a rope, fell on Olanrewaju’s head, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Our correspondent gathered that despite the efforts of emergency responders who rushed to the scene to assist the well driller, Olanrewaju was confirmed dead by a doctor at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, after being rushed in for treatment.

The spokesperson for the command, Omolola Odutola, when contacted by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, said, “A resident, identified only as Olayinka, who had hired Olanrewaju to dig a well at her home in Abule Oko, Laderin, received a distress call around 10:00 am informing her of the accident.

“The call revealed that Olanrewaju had been struck on the head by a bucket filled with sand, which was being lifted with a rope inside the well.
“Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the scene, and the victim was promptly taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Idi-Aba, where he was pronounced dead. At the family’s request, his body was subsequently released to them for a proper burial.”

A similar incident was reported by PUNCH Metro on May 3, 2024, when two well diggers from the Republic of Benin, Avade Clement and Achefon Edua, tragically lost their lives while working in a well in the Sama Laderin community.

The victims were reportedly hired by Akinsaya Ganiyu to work on his well at a site in the Laderin area, where they allegedly became stuck.