By Evelyn Usman
WHEREAS, the air of  festivity occasioned by the  past Christmas and New Year celebrations is still fresh in most families across the country,   the Oniyides are enmeshed in grief and pains following the death through drowning in Badagry Beach of their 20 yearsold son, Babarinde.

The death of Babarinde Oniyide did not only come as a rude shock to the family but one which certainly hit a devastating blow. It is one tragic incident that the family will not forget in a hurry.

What culminated into a gathering of sympathisers at the family resident on  53 Evangelist Omoloye street, in Elerinko estate, Sango Otta on December 26,2009, while others were in a merry mood else where,  disguised itself in a funfair, as youths in the area, like in most areas in Lagos, had a carnival which was to be rounded off at the beach.

Babarinde Oniyide

Perhaps, if Babarinde, one of the twenty-eight fun seekers that visited the beach had realised that danger lurked ahead, he would have heeded his parents’ instruction not to embark on that ill- fated journey.  And fate on its part never gave him a second chance to explain  what actually transpired at the beach because  as you read this piece, he has since been buried.

Looking pale and fighting hard not to betray his emotion, the bereaved father, Mr Femi Oniyide narrated how he had left home for Abeokuta that fateful day, sending his son  an errand, an action aimed at preventing him from joining his peers to the beach, only to be called hours later that Babarinde could not be found.
Prelude to beach party

“Every year, youths in the area usually organise a carnival to celebrate the end of the year. But last year, they decided to end the carnival at the beach, leading to my son begging his mother to be allowed to join his peers . But she refused. She later brought it to my notice and I assured her I was going to do all within my power to ensure he did not go.

So, on that fateful day, precisely on December  26, 2009, I called my son and asked him to go and collect money from someone that was owing me in Sango. I used that as a bait to disallow him from joining his mates. Promising he would go,  I left for Abeokuta.”

Disobedience and wages

I called him at about 1.30 pm to find out if he had collected the money, only for him to inform me that his brother asked him to go back mid way, that he would collect the money. I felt bad that he had violated my instruction. But on a second thought, I assumed he would not meet them at home since it was late.

But the rudest shock of my life occurred when at about 7.00.pm, my phone rang and I was informed that Babarinde went with others to the beach and had not returned. At the receipt of the information, my heart skipped. When I eventually got home, I was told he was seen right inside the beach in the company of another boy, waving for help. We waited all night hoping he would show up. But he never did.

The following day,  I rushed to the beach to find out if I could recover his body but did not. I was asked to come back next day being Monday. You won’t believe it. When I went there on Monday, the bloated body of my son whom I last saw hale and hearty, was discovered in the shore of another river. When I saw the corpse, tears rolled down my cheeks.”

How he got drowned

It was gathered that while Babarinde and his elder brother were on their way to Sango to collect the money owed their father, he (Babarinde) received a call  from one of the fun seekers, requesting if he was no longer joining them.

Surprised that his friends had not left by then, he reportedly pleaded with his brother to go alone, and like one destined  for disaster, he reportedly made straight for where a waiting commercial bus was. He gladly hopped in, to the excitement of his friends and immediately, the commercial bus took off, with reverberating sounds of music.

But the excitement turned sour hours later at the beach, upon discovery that Babarinde and another fun seeker simply identified as Shine were missing. Apprehension later set in when it was discovered that they had drowned. And like bees whose honey comb had been attacked, the once high spirited youths fled the scene in different directions out of fear.

Continuing , the bereaved father,  an indigene of Yewah North Local Government Area of Ogun state, said, “ I was told that some of them went swimming while others remained at the shore playing football. My son did not go to swim because he did not know how to swim. All of a sudden, a boy named Shine, reportedly came to drag my son to the beach. I was told he told the boy he did not know how to swim but all explanations fell on deaf ears.

The next thing the boys claimed to have seen was my son and the other boy (Shine)waving their hands frantically for help. And before you knew what happened, they were not seen again.”

My Pains
My pains and annoyance are that the mother of the other boy was said to have been warned in her church not to allow

her son to go near the beach all through the month of December. But do you believe she even went with the children on that day?

I even learnt that she received a message on her phone as they were in the vehicle that she should not allow her son to go to the beach that day and she refused. Perhaps, if she had heeded that advice, my son and hers would not have drowned.

My other pain is the fact that Babarinde just gained admission into the Obafemi Awolowo University to study accounting. The very day I was to go and pay his school fees was the day his body was recovered”, he stated in a low tone.