Lekan Odunare, a holder of a National Diploma certificate, is said to have attempted suicide by jumping into the Lagos Lagoon.
The victim, whose corpse has yet to be found, plunged into the lagoon in the Epe area about 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Lekan was seen resting on the railings of a bridge before jumping into the waters in a video that went viral on social media.
A man videoing the situation was heard questioning his intentions before he plunged in.
Before diving into the lagoon, Lekan, who appeared distraught, did not respond to any of the inquiries.
Many social media users, on the other hand, were perplexed as to why the man behind the camera did not attempt to help him.
The victim’s remains have yet to be discovered, according to a source who claimed to know him and talked to our correspondent.
He said, “The boy is like a younger brother to me. I saw the news first on Facebook and I called his elder brother to ask if it was true and he said yes. When I asked if they had found the body, he said they had not found it but that the people that were around the area said he died after jumping into the lagoon.
“I can’t say why he jumped into the lagoon; probably he was depressed or something. He has finished his national diploma and was learning to survey; I don’t know why he would jump into the lagoon.”
The deceased’s brother, Usman, said he never opened up about anything bothering him.
He said, “I don’t even understand the situation. He just wished to do that to himself. He used to be depressed once in a while, but at least he should have come out and spoken to someone. If anything was bothering him, he should have talked but that was how he chose to live his life. It has not been easy for our mother, but she will get over it as time goes on.
“We have not seen his body; we are searching for his body and hoping he will float to the shore because the lagoon is deep and nobody can enter into it.”
He also said the family did not report the matter to the police.
The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nosa Okubor, said the agency did not receive any report about the incident.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, promised to find out and get back to our correspondent.
He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, told our correspondent that the agency had no information on the matter.
Ada Peter
