Mother commits suicide in Lagos after discovering two of her kids died in collapsed building

POLICE in Lagos are investigating the suicide of a mother who took her own life by drinking a bottle of the insecticide Sniper after two of her children died in the recent building collapse tragedy on Lagos Island.

On Wednesday, a four storey building collapsed in the Ita Faaji area of Lagos Island, killing dozens, including children as the premises housed a primary school. About 40 pupils were pulled out of the building alive but some died and the Lagos State government is currently collating the number of deaths.

Apparently, the building had been identified as distressed and listed for demolition by the Lagos State government but action had not been carried out in this regard. Emergency workers have now stopped searching for victims as they believe they have now recovered who is still alive from the rubble.

In a further tragedy, this mother-of-two, who lives in the Gambari area of Lagos Island with her husband, was said to have bought the insecticide yesterday morning and drank it. According to eyewitnesses, nobody knew what she wanted to do with the Sniper but a few minutes later, they saw the bottle beside her where she was sleeping and it was discovered that she was already dead

It was learnt that she gave birth to the two children, who were between the ages of six and four, through caesarean section. Immediately news of the tragedy broke, sympathisers thronged to the house to console her husband and family members.

In another development, one mother, simply named as Yetunde, whose son was injured in the incident, has reportedly been too traumatised by the sight of the boy lying critically on a hospital bed, that she has not sat down for over nine hours. She was seen moving from one corner of the Lagos Island General Hospital to the other in search of the prescribed drugs and other needs demanded by the doctors.

Fortunately, the boy survived the injuries but his two legs are in Plaster of Paris. Recollecting the event of the past 24 hours, Yetunde said she dressed her for school and she  had already left the house when she received a call that the school, which her son attends, had caved in, leaving many children trapped.