Dogo: Water vendor who gave his life for others

When tragedy struck at the Mutmoyinat Central Mosque in Ososo community of Mushin, a suburb of Lagos, a water vendor popularly called Dogo used his body as a shield to create worshipers of the collapsed mosque access to escape. Dogo was unfortunately trapped in the rubble and his remains were found three days later. He is one of the Daily Trust’s Unsung Heroes celebrated posthumously.

The memory of Sa’idu AbdulRahman is still fresh in the hearts of the people of Ososo Community in Mushin Area of Lagos State. He lost his life while saving others when the Mutmoyinat Central Mosque collapsed on May 26, 2024.

Shofunde Saheed Olarewaju, a member of the community described the late Abdulrahman, who was popularly called Dogo due to his giant-like statue, as a humanitarian who served the community with all his strength. He told Daily Trust that Dogo was a water cart pusher who moved around the community selling water.

“He was a man of the people. He was loved by all in the community due to his simplicity and service to humanity. He used to fetch water for the people and was one of those who used to clean the mosque daily.

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He would clean the area where people performed ablution after every prayer, and was always at the front row during Salat in the mosque,” he said.

Speaking on how the tragedy occurred, Olarewaju said he was with the imam of the mosque shortly before the building collapsed. He said he had just left for home to get something when it happened, escaping it by the whiskers.

He said before the collapse, the mosque committee had expressed fear regarding the depth of excavation at a nearby construction site, but the site engineers had assured them that the mosque was safe.

Fearful of any danger, the mosque committee had asked students of the Madarasa (Arabic and Islamic school) to go back home, adding that that action had helped lower the casualty figure when the mosque eventually collapsed.

However, because of the assurance from the site engineers, Shofunde Olarewaju said many others, including Dogo had gone into the mosque for the Zuhur (after) prayer.

“That was when the mosque collapsed,” he said, adding that: “It collapsed towards the side and Dogo stood up for a rescue mission. Due to his stature, he was able to hold on to a part of the building thereby creating a pathway for people to get out.

“He held the building standing still, but in the process, one of his legs slipped and he fell. Unfortunately, the rescue mission went on without anyone realising that Dogo was trapped in the rubble.”

Olarewaju, who said he conveyed many people to hospital, also said that when he returned and asked for Dogo, some people told him that the tall water vendor had escaped from the collapsed mosque.

“I doubted because I noticed his water cart full of water was still in the front of the mosque. I doubted that he was out of the rubble but since two people I approached told me that he was out, I went back to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to check if they took him there.”

He said when they could not find Dogo in the hospital, they went to six other hospitals but still, there was no sign of the water vendor.

Olarewaju said he returned to the site of the collapsed mosque where he met the engineers already levelling the area and informed them that he was looking for someone.

“The response I got from them almost discouraged me. They told me that they brought equipment to check if there was anyone remaining under the rubble and that they found nothing before they started the process of levelling the ground.”

“The crowd was so much as people were scavenging iron rods. I was about to give up but something told me that Dogo had nowhere to go and if we couldn’t find him in the hospital, then he must be here somewhere.”

By the third day, he said, there was still no sign of Dogo so he started to interview some of the engineers to confirm if indeed they had used a machine. He was however shocked as he later learnt that the machine they brought could not be used as it refused to start.

“I went to one point where people were scavenging iron rods and there I perceived an acrid smell. I called some people to check and then employed scavengers to help dig the area. We bargained with them and the good people of the community led by one Alhaja who used to take care of the Hausa community provided the money.”

He said they dug for hours into the night and eventually found Dogo’s decomposing remains.

“The community brought some chemicals and we put it to reduce the odour. It was late in the night, hence we kept the body in a mosque. The following morning, we took him to the cemetery of the Arewa Muslim community in Agege where he was buried after we got approval from some Arewa leaders in Idi Araba.”

He described him as someone who prayed on time and a workaholic with a heart full of love for humanity and community service.

“He would not have died if he had not stayed back to rescue others. However, it is Allah’s wish that he will die that day and in such a way. For us, we can say he died saving the lives of others,” he said.

Ganiyu Lasisi who almost lost his 13-year-old daughter, Ganiyat, to the mosque collapse described Dogo’s bravery as a sacrifice of life for others to live.

Though Lasisi’s daughter, a sickle cell patient sustained injuries and later had her two legs amputated, he said Dogo had used his hands to lift up concrete in the building for others to have access and escape the collapsed mosques.

“He is the reason others are still living while he sacrificed his life for them,” he said.