…as distraught family members besiege hospital to identify relations’ corpses
A deluge on Friday wreaked havoc across Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, claiming lives and destroying property worth millions of Naira in the ancient town.
The rain, which started as a drizzle a few minutes after 4pm, became a downpour after about one hour, sacking almost the whole of the Abeokuta metropolis.
While no fewer than eleven person were reportedly killed across several areas of the state capital, properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed by the flood.
Some of the areas affected include Ijaye, Kuto, Kobiti, Ilawo, Toronto, Amolaso, Lafenwa, Oke Lantoro, among others.
In Ilawo, Adedotun, in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state, a mother and two of her children were killed in the flood, which ravaged their makeshift shop.
The woman identified as Alira Akintobi, a food vendor, was said to be in her shop beside a waterway when the rain started.
While the woman was carrying her baby, Shuaib Akintobi, on her back, her elder child, Abideen Akintobi, was also in the same shop with her when the rain began.
It was further gathered that when the woman and her children observed that they could no longer withstand the flood rushing into the shop, they attempted to escape to Alira’s mother’s house nearby, but they got trapped just as they stepped outside the shop.
While Alira was said to have been injured, rescued and taken to a nearby hospital, the baby on her back was swept away by the flood, while her elder child also died immediately.
The corpse of the baby earlier swept away by the flood was later found at a nearby waterway while Alira herself died in the earlier hours of Saturday.
The three corpses were later buried while Alira’s mother, popularly called Iya borehole, was seen in front of the house weeping uncontrollably.
Several houses around the bank of the Ogun River around Totoro, were submerged while no fewer than six cars were also swept into the river.
Around the Isale Igbein Government House, two vehicles swept away from the road, including a truck, were also sighted beside the second entrance to the Government House.
Several houses were also submerged by the flood in the Amolaso area of the city, while a bridge constructed recently, also caved as security operatives cordoned off the area.
No fewer than five story buildings around the bridge were also submerged, while the occupants were seen making efforts to salvage their belongings.
Many others were seen moving out of their apartments in droves.
The Archdiocesan Headquarters of the Celestial Church of Christ at the Ijaye area was also affected by the flood.
About a dozen of vehicles were submerged along with worship centres and musical equipment.
The newly constructed Divisional Headquarters of the Nigeria Police in the Lafenwa area of the state capital was also affected. Its gate house and part of the perimeter fence were pulled down.
As at the time of filing this report, no fewer than eight bodies of the victims recovered from the flood have been deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta.
Distraught family members, friends and sympathisers were seen thronging the hospital to identify the recovered corpses as several people were said to have gone missing since the flood wreaked havoc in the state capital.
