Our son tried to save my husband —Widow of man killed in Lagos explosion

Mr. Oladele Pius

Events before the explosion which killed a sand digger, Mr. Oladele Pius, on Monday in Lagos were as dramatic as his death, writes GBENGA ADENIJI

Ordinarily, Lakeview Estate, tucked in the Raji Rasaki area of Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State, appears to be a quiet residential area. You either know where you are heading or risk being challenged by both security men and conscious residents.

But the quietude of the vicinity seems temporarily lost, following the influx of visitors to the home of the Pius’ whose breadwinner, Oladele, was killed on Monday after an explosion under the FESTAC Link Bridge in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area. Perhaps he could have remained alive if he had stayed with his one-year-old son, who had tried to stop his father from going out few moments before the blast.

Pius, who was the area’s branch chairman of the state Sand Dealers Association, left two wives and five children behind. The first three children  are five years old, one is four and the last born, Paul, celebrated his first birthday a few months ago.

As early as 9am on Wednesday, sympathisers were already in their have to sign the condolence register. The callers were members of the churches the two wives attend, colleagues, friends of the deceased and neighbours.

The first wife, Omolola, who spoke to our correspondent as the visitors poured in, said her late husband and her started the trade in 1998. Recalling what happened that Monday before the explosion, she said he was leaving for work when he called her that they should leave the house together.

“On the day my husband died, he called me as he was leaving for work in the morning. He said we should leave together but I said I had not finished with the house chores and that he should go ahead. I said that because I was certain that he would not approve of the skirt I was wearing. He would complain in the car and I did not want to delay him while I changed to something else.

“When I got to the workplace, he said he was hungry and called one of his brothers to buy food for him. But as his brother was about to leave, he changed his mind and said that he would go with him. So they both went to a place called Belgium, around the FESTAC Link Bridge,” she stated.

According to her, her husband later told her that he felt uncomfortable after eating and he decided home to use the toilet.

“When he got back, he said he slept off after using the toilet at home and that several calls from people woke him up.

“He went to his seat but a few minutes later, I heard an explosion. Everybody scampered and I was just shouting, ‘where is baba? There was a very thick smoke. I later saw his mangled body. I cuddled it as I shouted for help and wailed but people had fled for fear that there could be more explosions,” she said.

Before his death, his last child, Paul, was said to have firmly refused to release his father’s car key when he wanted to go back to his office after using the toilet. Omolola said the baby cried uncontrollably when the late Pius collected the key from him.

“But he avoided Paul by sneaking out through the kitchen and later called on those at home to lock the gate. I learnt that when he was driving out, he asked who was crying so loudly because the child refused to be pacified. He was told it was still the baby. He then said, ‘I am just going out to look for means of taking care of my children,’ Omolola added.

She added that the late Pius used to tell them that he always dreamt of people trying to attack him.

According to her, they always felt it could be from his workplace and that they resorted to prayers.

Did she suspect what could be responsible for her husband’s death?  She stated that there was none she could think of except when, a day after the incident, her junior wife, Funmi woke up in the midnight to ask her who was William. Funmi, who sat weakly on the bed, nodded occasionally as the senior wife spoke.

Omolola said, “She said she saw our husband in her dream and that he said we should hold one William responsible for his death. I told her that I know the man called William because he worked for my late husband, who treated him well.

“Pius always ordered me to give William full-day payment each time he went on any assignment with my husband even though he could not work on the boat, which was his job. I was thus surprised when he claimed that my husband owed him N800,000 before his death. I then asked my husband before he died, if it was true and he said he only promised to give William something after he assisted him while he was looking for a dredger to buy.

“ He said he could only give William what he earned and not what he wanted. William claimed that there was a written agreement and I told my husband who asked me to tell him to show it to me. I told him that if he could provide the agreement, I would personally ensure that he got the money. Since then, he did not come to the workplace until he emerged two weeks before the Monday tragedy. He was standing behind my husband when the incident happened,” Omolola said.

The widow noted that they had not made any report to the police.

It is so sad that the  children have been asking after their father. Omolola explained that they have been telling them that their father travelled.

One of those who signed the condolence register described the late Pius who was also the Apashe 1 of Amuwo Odofin, as someone who shouldered the responsibilities of other families.

Some others wrote: “Your death is a great loss; Honestly speaking; a ‘genius’ has gone unexpectedly. You were so generous to your generation.”