Body of missing 5-yr-old boy found inside cesspit in Abuja

A five-year-old boy, Desmond Rabome, has been found dead in a cesspit at an uncompleted house in Ushafa community, Abuja, after missing for days.

Desmond, who started living with his maternal aunt, Mrs. Joy Odufo, in February after the death of his mother, reportedly went missing at about at 6.30 p.m. on June 28.

Odufo, who is the elder sister to Desmond’s father, alleged that the matter was reported at the Ushaffa Police station but no action was taken to search for the missing boy.

Odufo, an alcohol retailer and an Urhobo from Delta said on Sunday in Bwari that the boy was later found dead in a cesspit on June 29 at an uncompleted building near her store.

A neighbour, Mr. Ikenna Ojobor, who spoke with NAN, however, alleged carelessness on the part of the boy’s guardians as the cause of the tragedy.

Ojobor said most people in the community were fond of him because he was an adorable and playful kid.

“From what I know about Desmond, he was very likable; I only blame his guardians for failing to take proper care of him.

“The death of the young boy was felt by all members of this community.

“This is a lesson for other parents; it is negligence on the part of those left to cater for this child that resulted in this ugly incident, Ojobor said.

A community leader of Ushafa, Mr. Sumaila Sabo, advised that the remains of the late boy be buried at the place he was found, since the cause of death was unknown.

“I will advise the family to discuss with the owner of the uncompleted house and bury the late toddler in the environment where his corpse was found,” Sabo said.

A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity at the Police station in Bwari, said Mrs. Odufo only reported about the missing boy but not his death.

According to her, we were only told that the child was missing in Ushafa, we have no heard anything from her concerning the death of the boy.

“We will put necessary measures in place to investigate the matter properly, since it is a juvenile case, to ensure that we bring the offender to book,” she said.