Mrs Chinyere Oji, the mother of Dr Allwell Oji, who jumped into
the Lagos Lagoon, is hopeful her son would return to her alive.
Oji, the first of three children, at about 4pm on Sunday ordered
his driver to stop after allegedly receiving a telephone call on the Third
Mainland Bridge. The unmarried doctor came down from the car, headed for the
railings at the edge of the bridge and jumped into the lagoon.
However, family members said Orji’s mother, a retired banker, is
hopeful that her son will return alive to their Abule- Ijesha, Yaba, Lagos
home.
NewsGuru
reports that journalists were refused entry into the building where Orji’s
family live when they tried to reach the mother.
The men who accosted them explained that the "whole issue
has been difficult for us".
One of the men said the mother was distraught and was yet to
accept that the son was dead.
"She doesn't even accept people's sympathies and
condolences.
"As a Christian, she believes in God that a miracle could
happen and that her son won't die. She believes he's just missing and would
return alive," he said.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, said the agency would not assume the
worst until Oji's remains were found.
He said the scope of search
had been expanded as local divers and patrols had been deployed beyond the
location where Oji was said to have jumped in.
