The man who jumped into the lagoon at the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge area of Lagos on Tuesday has been identified as Buka Abana.
This followed days of search efforts, when rescue workers successfully retrieved Abana’s lifeless body on Thursday.
Reports indicate that the 30-year-old, believed to be struggling with drug addiction, had left his Lekki Phase I residence approximately two days before the incident.
His concerned family members formed a search party and received information that he had been spotted near the bridge, prompting them to pursue him.
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The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development in an interview with Punch correspondent.
“The man’s name is Buka Abana. He was aged 30. He had been taking Colorado hard drugs.
“He left home for two days and in the process of searching for him, he sighted the family members and jumped into the lagoon as soon as he saw them,” the PPRO said.
Earlier, a statement from Amodu Shakiru, the Head of Public Education at the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, verified the recovery of Abana’s body, saying, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service can authoritatively report that the body of one adult male that jumped into the lagoon on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, from Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge has been recovered today (Thursday).”
“The search and rescue operations began in earnest immediately after the alert of the incident was received around 2.53pm and culminated in the recovery of the body today (Thursday) around 9.15am at the LASEMA end of the lagoon bank.
“The collaborative efforts include that of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Waterways Authority, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Health, Environmental Monitoring Unit and the locals to foreclose the joint operations.”
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Meanwhile, in a separate statement by the Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Abana’s body was handed over to the family after the operation.
“The recovered body has been handed over to the family of the deceased in conjunction with the LASEMA Response Unit, SEHMU, LASWA Rescue Team and officers of the Nigerian Police Force from Maroko Divisional Police Station, and operation has been concluded,” the statement read.