Ado-Ekiti—Five persons, on Tuesday, narrowly cheated death on Ureje River in Ado Ekiti, as the river overflowed its bank along Federal Polytechnic Road, Ado Ekiti, wreaking havoc on the surrounding buildings.
The five persons were said to be coming from Ureje area, and made frantic efforts to navigate the heavily flooded bridge, when they were overrun by fast-flowing water, which carried them into its valley.
An eyewitness told journalists in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, that the victims, who could have been drowned, were saved by some Hausa divers, who waited at the bridge to help the elderly cross the flooded spot.
The eyewitness, said: “The five victims were struggling to cross the bridge with high and heavy tidal water level when suddenly they were washed away by water. The people who were waiting at the far end of the bridge raised the alarm, which attracted the Hausa divers, who quickly jumped into the river to save them.”
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Meanwhile, property worth millions of naira were damaged in areas such as Eminrin Estate, Adebayo, Ita Eku and Ilupeju Avenue, as the flood submerged buildings during the downpour.
In Eminrin Estate alone, about 10 buildings were affected, while the occupants lost valuables worth millions of naira.
One of the victims, Mrs. Julianah Ajulo, said the family lost property worth over N3 million to the flood, as she called on the state government to help them out of the horrible situation.
She said: “In fact, we were happy when Governor Biodun Oyebanji came to dredge Ureje River in Eminrin. We never knew we could witness this again. This is the third time in 10 years this will happen to us. We appeal to the state government to do something urgent about our situation. We are seriously pained by this incident.”
Meanwhile, Governor Oyebanji has assured that his government would map out life-saving measures to save the residents and their property submerged by the rain water.
The governor, represented by his deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, accompanied by other top government functionaries, gave the assurance during a visit to the affected areas to assess the level of destruction caused by the incident.
She said: “We sympathise with those that were affected by this flooding. My government won’t abandon them. We will take quick steps to address all your issues. We will surely come to your aid because the welfare of the people is paramount to Governor Oyebanji.”
Oyebanji warned Ekiti residents against unwholesome practices such as reckless dumping of refuse and sewages inside canals and erection of buildings on waterways, noting that the actions were exacerbating the flood in the state.
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SOURCE: Vanguardng