Lekki, Lagos – April 8, 2025
A devastating incident has shaken the community of Lekki, Lagos State, where a 30-year-old woman, Cynthia Chizoba Oguzie, lost her life after a water tank collapsed through the roof of her room while she was asleep. The tragedy occurred on April 7, 2025, and has sparked outrage over negligence in construction practices.
According to a detailed thread posted on X by user @Drweloveu, Cynthia was taking a nap in her room when the water tank, improperly constructed, tore through the roof and fell directly on her. The impact is believed to have caused severe internal injuries and bleeding, leaving her trapped and unable to call for help. Images shared in the thread show the catastrophic damage to the room, with a gaping hole in the ceiling and debris scattered across the space where Cynthia had been resting.
Further investigation revealed that the collapse was a result of gross negligence by the landlord and the engineer responsible for the building. Reports circulating on X, including a post by @UnlimitedChuks, highlighted that the landlord, who is reportedly not in Nigeria, and the engineer used substandard materials to construct the water tank tower in an effort to maximize profit. A family member, Chukwuebuka Nathaniel Kanayochukwu, expressed grief and frustration in a post, stating, “Thank you so called lekki landlord and your engineer for doing this type of water stand. The landlord said he is not in Nigeria, is the engineer that build all the houses and send him the pictures and the videos, this is how the story ended ooo… Zoba Nwanne Rest in Peace.”
The incident has sparked widespread anger and calls for accountability. X user @SirTEE50 questioned whether the landlord had been arrested, while @UnlimitedChuks lamented the broader issue of negligence in Nigeria, stating, “In Nigeria you can be sleeping in your home n boom, get killed by negligence, incompetence of some engineers. God Abeg oo .”
Cynthia’s funeral arrangements were also shared in the thread, reflecting Nigerian cultural practices of public death announcements and community mourning. A funeral poster announced that her burial will take place on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Chetakwa Mortuary in Akabo. The program includes a body viewing at 9:00 AM, followed by a funeral service at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church Amankuta Mbieri at 10:00 AM, and burial at Body Laid to Rest Church at 12:00 PM. The announcement, which included a vibrant photo of Cynthia, noted her age and expressed a heartfelt wish: “May Her Gentle Soul Rest in The Lord Amen.”
This tragedy underscores the critical need for stricter regulations and oversight in construction practices, particularly for water storage systems, to prevent such preventable losses. The Lekki community and Cynthia’s loved ones are left mourning a vibrant young woman whose life was cut short due to negligence. As the investigation continues, many are hoping for justice and reforms to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again.
