Two teenagers have drown in a popular river located in the Omileye area of Ore town, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo State.
The cause of the tragic incident still remains a mystery.
However, a source close to the police revealed that the tragedy occurred shortly after a downpour in the area.
The victims, who were siblings, reportedly returning home late at night from their father’s shop who is a motorcycle mechanic in the town.
The children, said to be pupils of a private nursery and primary school in the area, had visited their father at his shop before the rain started.
The source said they were attempting to cross the river, popularly known as ‘Omileye’, when they were swept away by the strong current.
Their failure to return home after several hours prompted their father to raise an alarm, leading to a search party organised by concerned residents. Many feared that the boys had been carried away by the river.
The development threw the family and other residents into panic. A report was subsequently lodged at the Divisional Police Station in the town.
Although the details of the incident were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that local swimmers and some Good Samaritans had launched a search along the riverbanks. Their efforts eventually led to the discovery of the lifeless bodies of the boys later that day.
As part of the rescue effort, local swimmers were contacted to comb the riverbank in search of the victims. Their efforts paid off a few hours later when the bodies were found at different locations, trapped between pieces of wood along the riverbank.
An impeccable source at the Ore Divisional Police Station confirmed that the matter was reported at the station, adding that detectives would be dispatched to investigate.
However, he did not rule out the possibility that the matter might have been reported to one of the sister security agencies in the community.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Olayinka Ayanlade, said the incident had not yet been reported at any police station in the area.
He assured that a detective would be assigned to commence an investigation into the matter.
