Ilorin Residents Take Refuge In Churches & Mosques As Flood Submerges 200 Houses

By New Telegraph

Heavy Flood wreaked havoc on Ilorin yesterday, as over 200 residential houses were submerged while hundreds of victims were displaced and rendered homeless.

The most affected areas are Aduralere and Isale Koko communities in the Ilorin East Local Government Area. Hundreds of residents of the affected communities, according to the NAN, are now taking refuge in churches, mosques and residences of some neighbours, who were not affected by the flood. Some of the affected residents said the downpour, which lasted for several hours, made water to overflow the drainage channels that cut across the two communities.

Narrating his ordeal, a resident of Aduralere community, Alhaji Abdurasheed Jimoh, said the flood had destroyed most of his property as the rain caught him unawares. He said: “This is not the first time we are experiencing flood in our community, but this one came with an ugly and bitter experience as the drainage channels got filled up and submerged houses suddenly.

“Most of the buildings here have been submerged as their occupants have lost all their household property to the flood and are displaced.” The Chairman of Aduralere community, Alhaji Tunde Aremu, said that occupants of the affected houses were unable to salvage any of their property from the flood.

Aremu attributed the flood to the blocked channelization that passes through the two communities. He said that since the blockage of the channelization and retraining walls of the project from Unity to Amilegbe, flooding had been frequent occurrence at Isale Koko area. The chairman of the community called on the state government to revisit the water channels by clearing the blockage and possibly expand the drainage system to allow free flow of water.

He solicited immediate succour from the state government to alleviate the sufferings of the affected residents. When contacted, the Special Adviser to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on Emergency and Relief Services, Alhaji AbdulRasaq Jimoh, said he was not aware of the flooding. He, however, pledged to pay on-the-spot assessment visit to the affected areas with a view of assessing the situation and providing succour for the homeless victims.