Deadly Floods: 102 die in Ibadan – Red Cross

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi

Friday’s flooding in Ibadan, Oyo State killed at least 102 people, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.

Some 1,500 people remain displaced by the downpour, officials of the humanitarian agency said.

The major area hit hardest by the floods remains the state capital, Ibadan. Heavy rains on Friday made a local dam in the area overflow, sending water crashing through the informal settlements surrounding the river banks.

The water also damaged three bridges in the area, trapping people in their neighborhoods, said an official with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, Tunde Adebiyi.

Many homes, which were poorly constructed, were washed away when the water rushed through, said Umar Mairiga, an official with the Nigerian Red Cross.

“I think in the process a lot of them were washed away by the rainwater and others were trapped in collapsed buildings,” Mairiga said Wednesday.

Mairiga said it took time to get a proper casualty figure as water levels in some areas remain high as seasonal rains continue.

NEMA had warned that rains would be heavier this year than last year.

In an assessment after the flooding, the agency said more flooding would be likely in areas with inadequate drainage and improperly disposed trash.

Last year, some 500,000 people were displaced nationwide by floods in the country.

Nigeria’s rainy season lasts roughly from June to September. The rains paused for most of August this year, however, only starting again within the last week.

However, residents of the areas worst-hit by the flood continued to battle with relocation as most of them have been displaced.

Many houses constructed in the flood-prone areas collapsed while a large number of uncompleted buildings were reduced to rubble at Odo-Ona Elewe and Apete

A resident of Apete, Mr. Julius Akintomide, said. “Look at all these places, it is like a bulldozer went through the area. That structure over there used to be a four-bedroom flat.

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