Photo: Rock Crushes Mother, Children, Grandchild, Neighbour In Ogun

Rock formations  are
common features of Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, and its neighbouring
villages even as  Abeokuta – people who
live under the rocks – derived its name from there.

While some of the rocks which were formed centuries ago,
according to geologists, are tourist sites such as the Olumo Rock. Others
situating in remote areas, remained veritable sources of granites and stones in
commercial quantities to people within and outside the state, for construction
works.

And some of the residents, acting on the eroneous belief
that  rocks neither die nor decay, and
perhaps because of the cool ambience they are said to engender at night,
elected to erect their homes near or below those rocks, while others build atop
of them, including altars of prayer, especially those who attached spiritual
conotation to rocks.

So far, since 1830 AD when the Egba people arrived and
settled in Abeokuta, both the rocks and the residents had co-habited with each
other and safely, too, not even the earth tremor that occured in the city in
1986 could rupture that hundreds of years of living safely near rocks.

But penultimate Friday, that changed. A ‘treacherous’ rock
in Iberekodo, Abeokuta, crushed four persons, including mother, two children
and a grandchild, to death when it tipped off its base and rammed lethally on
them after knocking down the wall of their bedroom.

The rocky Iberekodo community in Abeokuta North Local
Government Council of Ogun state were left in shock and grief.

However, the man of the house, Ismail Lawal, Sukurat and
Rofiat, survived the assault on the modest home by the deadly rock because they
happened to be relaxing at the sitting room when it struck but they incurred
serious injuries.

The victims – Mrs Silifat Lawal, her two children: Rasheedat
(15), Semia (4) and a grandchild Mariam – 
had barely fallen into a deep sleep on their bed after a Friday dinner
when the rock killed them.

The Nation gathered that the rock has been in existence in
Iberekodo community before the Egba people settled in Abeokuta, the Ogun state
capital, around 1830 AD.

Some of the villagers said the heavy downpour that fateful
day, which they claimed  softened the
base of the rock situating on a location overlooking Ismail Lawal’s home,
caused the ground to give way. According to them, the rock, having lost its
balance, tumbled and rolled lethally on Lawal’s home beneath.

Source: The Nation