Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
A yet-to-be identified man and a lady suspected to be lovers have been drowned in the popular Ureje Dam, monitored by the Ekiti State Water Corporation, Ado-Ekiti metropolis.
A source revealed to The Nigerian Xpress that the incident had occurred about six o’clock on Sunday evening, while the deceased attempted to evade arrest by police.
The lady whose name could not be ascertained, was said to be a resident of Bamgboye street, a community close to the dam.
According to report, various gangs of young men and women often visit the dam side to swim and also engage in all sort of immoral and criminal activities, such as smoking of hard drugs, prostitution and even cult initiation.
According to the chairperson, Land Lord Association, Bamgboye community, Deaconess Phebian Fatuase, “the youths have turned the dam side into a den where they carry out all criminal activities.”
She said the community had made several attempts to chase them but, had remained recalcitrant, hence, the police were involved.
Deaconess Fatuase explained that until few days ago, some of them were still arrested while smoking Indian hemp around the dam.
The chairperson noted that, the man and the lady drowned were said to have jumped into the dam on sighting security agents but perished after they could not beat the gravity of the water.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Mr. Sunday Abutu, confirmed that two persons perished in the dam while swimming but said the police was never involved.
“Young guys and young girls do go there to smoke Indian hemp and other hard drugs, that was the report we got and once in a while the police do go there to ensure that they don’t gather to commit those crimes.
“As at yesterday, the police didn’t go there, it was after the incident had happened that the police were called upon to come to the scene.
“They went swimming after they had probably taken drugs and in the process got drowned.”
According to him, their bodies had been recovered and deposited at the morgue of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
