Confusion as missing pupil is found dead in pit toilet in Lagos This young boy lost his life after he fell into an open pit latrine in his compound.

There is confusion and palpable fear in a compound located at Alapere area of Ketu, Lagos State, after a primary one pupil identified as Kehinde Toba, reportedly slipped and fell into an open 25-foot pit toilet and died in the process.

It was gathered that the boy who was a pupil of Fasok Nursery and Primary School, who lost his father five years ago and was living with a relative, Julius Adeniyi, was declared missing after he could not be found by his guardian, only for his dead body to be recovered in the latrine.

He was said to be walking out of the house in the evening of Wednesday, February 17, when he slipped and fell into the toilet and the discovery has sent the tenants into panic as they are said to have fled the compound after policemen from the Alapere Divison the caretakers of the house.

The boy's corpse was later discovered at about 5pm the next day, after a bricklayer had sealed up the pit without knowing that he was trapped inside.

His guardian, Adeniyi, who was said to have fainted when he was told of the news, explained that Kehinde and his twin sister,Taiye, as well as an elder brother, Seun, started living with him after their father died.

“Their mother is a trader, but she stays in the Seme, Badagry area of Lagos State. The three children live with me.

On Wednesday, Kehinde returned from school and started doing his homework along with his classmates. I later went out to see a friend and when I returned around 7pm, Seun told me that his brother was missing.

The family began looking around for him and when it was 10pm, we decided to alert the police to the development.

I informed his mother, who started crying. I was also confused because we could not tell what had become of him. His mother left Seme for our hometown in Ipokia, Ogun State, and after our family members there made some consultations, they were assured that the boy would be found,” he added.

The spokesperson for the state fire service, Amodu Shakiru, who confirmed the incident, said:

"At about 6pm, we received a call to a house on Alapere Street, Ketu. A boy of about eight years was recovered dead from a latrine of about 25-feet deep on the premises of a two-storeyed building.

The corpse was handed over to the police from the Alapere division. The State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency were also there.”