Ololade Adeyanju/
The police have reportedly arrested three students of the University of Abuja over the death of their colleague, Emmanuel Aigbokhalode Balogun, who allegedly drowned in a swimming pool.
NewsmakersNG learnt that Balogun, 17, had gone to The Dome, a popular hotel in Abuja along with friends over the weekend for a party when the tragic incident occurred.
According to an account of the incident reportedly shared online by an unnamed friend of the deceased’s family, as the teenager was drowning, his friends abandoned him and watched him drown out of envy.
The family friend claimed in the post, which has gone viral, that a CCTV footage obtained by the police showed that the three friends took the deceased’s phones and money and returned to school without informing anyone of what had happened.
The friend claimed it was a female friend of the deceased that eventually informed his mother the next day.
Police authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
Read the full account of the incident as posted by the deceased’s family friend below:
A 17 years old boy got drowned at the Dome Hotel swimming pool in Abuja last weekend. He was in the company of his friends. The friends didn’t report to the hotel management what happened nor to the deceased’s (Emmanuel Balogun) parents. They went back to the school (University of Abuja) hostel immediately after the unfortunate incident.
On Monday a young girl from the univesity called the mother of the deceased that they did not see the son in class. She went on to tell the parents that something sinister happened to Emma and abruptly ended the call and switched off the line.
She alerted her husband immediately placed a call to their son’s number but it was switched off. The alarmed parents drove that Monday night to their son’s hostel but met his absence.
They got word that a party was held for fresh year students over the weekend at the Dome hotel. They drove straight away to the hotel. The hotel management told them there was a case of drowning in the hotel over the weekend and directed them to the police.
The police now led them to the mortuary, and there was the embalmed remains of their son.
The CCTV footage of what transpired at the hotel is unbelievable. The deceased was captured in the swimming pool with three of his friends and about 3.33 am he started floundering in the pool. His friends where all watching him until he drowned. They all left the scene immediately, and one took his handset, the other took his trousers and stole the money in the pocket and wore his shoes.
They sneaked out of the hotel around 4.18 am. The police went to the school and arrested the trio, and the hotel manager.
At the police station one of the boys made a shocking confession that he wanted to raise an alarm to save the deceased but the other two boys asked him not to. One of them accused the deceased of pride because he’s from an affluent home, he went further to allege that the other one said all the girls are always admiring the deceased, so he should be left for dead.
These are just 17/18 years old boys. The CCTV footage is sickening. They watched their “friend” drown out of jealousy. According to them, it was the deceased that paid the 2k gate fee for each of them and also bought barbecued fish and juice which they all drank.
The young man was buried today amid mourning. Below is the picture of the deceased whose death was avoidable.
