Man jumps off Third Mainland Bridge, drowns

A man, identified as Okechukwu Ezeigbo, has drowned in the Lagoon after taking a dive from the top of the Third Mainland Bridge on Thursday.

The Imo State indigene was said to be among several passengers in a commercial bus heading towards Obalende, on the Lagos Island area of Lagos State, when the incident happened.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim suddenly asked the driver of the bus to stop and before anyone could realise what was going on, he hurriedly put off his shoes and took a dive into the Lagoon.

Some officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, who later arrived at the scene, were said to have sought the help of fishermen in the area, who brought the victim out. But he was already dead.

LASTMA official, who pleaded anonymity, said, “The incident happened around 9am. We got an alert that somebody had fallen into the Lagoon.

“He was in a commercial bus and then jumped down and dived into the river. Nobody knows the reason for his action.

“Motorists began to park their vehicles on the road and that created a gridlock.

“We quickly moved in and asked people to clear their vehicles from the road.

“Some fishermen then brought him and we handed over the body to the Adekunle Police Station. There was nothing with which we could identify him.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident, adding that the police had contacted his relatives.

Nwosu added that preliminary investigation showed that the victim had mental problem and had been taken to a church located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,for prayers before he escaped.

He said, “The relatives said they did not know how he left the place and joined a public transport. The police have recovered the corpse and deposited in a morgue”

 Source:  Punch