Lagos Family Mourns Opeyemi After F@tal River Escape

He was remembered by those who knew him as someone warm and dependable; a young man described simply as "very nice, good, and hardworking."

Now, his family and community in the Agility area of Mile 12, Lagos State, are left grappling with his sudden and violent de@th.

Opeyemi drowned on Saturday, September 12, after allegedly jumping into a river while being chased by suspected cultists, according to a police source who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Sunday.

The source said he had simply been on his way to purchase an item when some persons allegedly began chasing him, eventually catching up with him and attacking him before he jumped into the water in a desperate bid to escape.

A resident recounted the harrowing scene, saying, "We got a report that he was being chased by some people suspected to be cultists who caught him and attacked him before he jumped into the river."

The resident added a detail that has left many in the community distressed: "Some people wanted to rescue him, but those chasing him prevented them from doing so."

However, an anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, offered a somewhat different account in a post seen by PUNCH Metro on Sunday, reflecting the confusion still surrounding what really happened.

The post noted, "While a few residents claimed that Opeyemi was high on a substance and jumped into the river, others said it was not true."

The platform went on to share the account of alleged eyewitnesses: "Others who claimed to have witnessed the incident stated that Opeyemi was on his way to buy drugs when he was chased by some people who caught and attacked him, before he jumped into the river. They claimed that even when people tried to save him, the attackers prevented them from saving him."

The post added a tribute that has resonated with many who read it: "Opeyemi was described as very nice, good, and hardworking."

When contacted for a reaction on Sunday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she would revert.