ABUJA

A heavy downpour descended on some parts of Abuja on Saturday, wrecking havoc, both to people and properties alike.

It was gathered that the rain lasted for about 6-8 hours, resulting to the destruction of houses and cars, while not less than 5 persons were swept away, with 6 others that were rescued from the rampaging waters sustained injuries and were hospitalized.

The Video:

As at the time of writing this article, 1 of the 5 persons that were swept away was found dead, while a search party is still on for the remaining 4.

Police Estate in Dei-Dei, Gwagwalada, Dawaki, Zuba and Giri were some of the areas affected. In all the areas, houses and cars were submerged in the flood.

In Zuba where the rain started around 2am, several houses were washed away while the flood also cut the bridge linking Ikwa, Yimi and other villages in Zuba.

One of the residents in Zuba, Mohammed Ibrahim, said that 3 children were killed in the flood.

He said; “A man whose house was submerged made frantic efforts to save his children with the help of sympathetic neighbours. While also submerged by the water, he lifted up one of the children to his neighbours who helped him to carry the child to safety. But the attempt to ferry the second child to safety turned tragic as the child mistakenly fell into the water and was washed away.

“So far, three children have been declared dead and properties worth millions of Naira destroyed”.

In his reaction to the development, the Director General, FCT Emergency Management Agency FEMA, Mr. Idriss Abbas advised residents to adhere to the Abuja Master Plan and avoid building on flood plains.

He said, “There was a building collapse in Dawaki as a result of the flood. Gwagwalada is flooded from Giri. A family of five were flooded at Giri. We got one body and still searching for four. We rescued six people and are in the hospital. The flood has damaged a lot of houses and property, especially at Gwagwalada. The residents are still saying some are missing but they cannot give us the identities of such persons who they claim to be missing.”

“People should be careful when it is raining. They should not drive on water. They should not build on flood plain. They must respect the master plan of FCT and ensure that all drainages are clean. What happened in Giri-Gota was because people built on flood plain.”

In Abuja.

MAKURDI

The situation in Makurdi, the Benue State capital is no different. Many parts of the town were flooded after the town experienced rainfall from morning till afternoon on Saturday.

The Situation in Makurdi.

Areas around Idye Village, Nyiman Layout, Benue State University, Logo 1 and Adeke, were greatly affected, as some houses could be seen submerged.