A combine team of marine police and local divers have finally recovered the body of Allwell Orji, a medical doctor who jumped off the 3rd Mainland bridge into the Lagos lagoon on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
A body was recovered on Tuesday, but the deceased mother, who was invited to identify the body, said it was not her son.
The search continued until 4pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2017 when his body was recovered from the Lagos lagoon.
Adesina Tiamiyu, general manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, confirmed the development to the media.
There was a traffic slow-down on Sunday evening on 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos when Dr. Orji ordered his driver to stop his SUV mid-way through the bridge, alighted from the vehicle, and jumped off the bridge.
This sad event occurred at about 5pm. When The Trent’s correspondent reached the scene by 5.30pm, there was a large traffic build-up and slow-down before the scene of the incident. First responders, police and LASTMA officials were at the scene with their vans.
A statement issued by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, and obtained by The Trent, identified the victim as a medical doctor by name Orji.
Spokesman of LASEMA Kehinde Adebayo, said the agency was alerted by concerned Nigerians when the incident occurred.
“The agency [LASEMA] received a distress call of a man who parked his grey coloured Nissan SUV with registration number LND 476 EE at about 4.50 pm today Sunday, 19th March 2017 around Adekunle, inward 3rd Mainland bridge and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon,” the statement said.
“Preliminary investigation at the scene revealed that the man said to be medical doctor named Orji who was said to be driven by his driver and suddenly ordered the driver to pull over, dropped from the car and suddenly jumped into the water from the bridge.
“The vehicle and the driver has been taken to Adeniji Adele Police Station for further investigation, while effort is on going to recover his body from the Lagoon.
“The general manager LASEMA Mr Adesina Tiamiyu said that proper investigation would be conducted on the incident by the appropriate authorities,” the statement ended.
The mother of the medical doctor who works with Mount Sinai Hospital, Papa Ajao, Mushin, has reportedly refused to accept that her son is dead. She said she believed that her son would be rescued alive.
His family has pleaded with Nigerians to respect their grief and declined comment on the incident.
