Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has rescued and
taken custody of three kids whose parents have been missing since the DANA
airplane crashed into their Iju-Ishaga home on Sunday.
The homeless children; Joel Okechukwu (11), Chisom Okechukwu (9) and
Esther Okechukwu, whose age could not be immediately ascertained, were
wandering around when they were spotted and rescued by the governor
during his visit to the site on Monday.
The children, who are now at the Government House, Ikeja, were sent on errands by their parents, Mr. Jeremiah Okechukwu and Mrs. Josephine Okechukwu, when the aircraft hit their home and reduced it to a rubble.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that emergency response officials still working on the crash site had yet to ascertain whether the couple were dead or still trapped in the debris.
Briefing journalists on the kids’ rescue, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, said they would remain with the governor until some of their relatives were identified.
``As things are now, the kids will remain with the governor here at Alausa. It`s so unfortunate that we cannot find the parents, but Joel, the eldest of the kids, has mentioned to us a particular uncle of theirs.
``He said the uncle`s name is Anthony Okechukwu and that he lives in Abuja. We are trying to establish links with him and inform him of the situation of the kids. We want the public to help us in this search.
``Of course, the governor is very willing to assist the kids, but the government thinks we should still know their relations.
``The kids are safe and they are being taken care of at Government House,'' he stated.
Ibirogba said the children had passed Sunday night in the home of an unnamed Samaritan in the neighbourhood before they were seen and picked up by the governor during his visit to the area on Monday.
The governor had, during the visit, described the plane crash as shocking and emotionally devastating, expressing his condolences to the families of the 153 victims.
Fashola later visited some of the victims of the crash at the Emergency Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), in Ikeja.
The children, who are now at the Government House, Ikeja, were sent on errands by their parents, Mr. Jeremiah Okechukwu and Mrs. Josephine Okechukwu, when the aircraft hit their home and reduced it to a rubble.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that emergency response officials still working on the crash site had yet to ascertain whether the couple were dead or still trapped in the debris.
Briefing journalists on the kids’ rescue, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, said they would remain with the governor until some of their relatives were identified.
``As things are now, the kids will remain with the governor here at Alausa. It`s so unfortunate that we cannot find the parents, but Joel, the eldest of the kids, has mentioned to us a particular uncle of theirs.
``He said the uncle`s name is Anthony Okechukwu and that he lives in Abuja. We are trying to establish links with him and inform him of the situation of the kids. We want the public to help us in this search.
``Of course, the governor is very willing to assist the kids, but the government thinks we should still know their relations.
``The kids are safe and they are being taken care of at Government House,'' he stated.
Ibirogba said the children had passed Sunday night in the home of an unnamed Samaritan in the neighbourhood before they were seen and picked up by the governor during his visit to the area on Monday.
The governor had, during the visit, described the plane crash as shocking and emotionally devastating, expressing his condolences to the families of the 153 victims.
Fashola later visited some of the victims of the crash at the Emergency Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), in Ikeja.