It was an emotional situation at the weekend on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos when a visually impaired man, distressed by hardship and hopelessness, attempted to jump into the lagoon.
Ewenla Adetomiwa, a 65-year-old father of two, was reportedly stopped by a Good Samaritan who alerted the police. Adetomiwa was with his two children, aged 16 and 12, when the incident occurred.
Motorists who witnessed the scene joined the Good Samaritan in restraining Adetomiwa until police arrived.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, noting that officers arrived to find the blind man and his children surrounded by a crowd and motorists on the bridge. “The man, who lives in Ikorodu, admitted that he intended to commit suicide so that the government would take responsibility for his children,” SP Hundeyin said.
The man and his children were taken to the police station for safety. Efforts are underway to contact his wife, and the case is under investigation.
In a related incident, a mentally challenged teenager was also rescued while attempting to jump into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.
Hudenyin said, “The victim, Elijah, a male of 18 years, who resides in 104 Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos, was taken to the station while his family was contacted and later released to his brother for medical treatment.”