Property worth several millions of naira has been destroyed in Ilorin, Kwara State capital following a three-hour heavy down pour which started around 4.00 pm of Thursday evening in the city.

This is as torrential rain nearly submerged Makurdi, capital of Benue State after hours of heavy downpour, destroying property worth billions of naira; a situation that prompted the government of the state to say it needed over N100 billion to tackle the menace.

Also, unconfirmed reports had it that a vehicle carrying four people was swept away by the flood, while many vehicles parked along the streets were washed away in different directions.

The areas mostly affected include Omosebi, Royal Sekinat, Pipeline, Coca-cola, Unity, Adisco and Gaa-

HISDAY checks revealed that the heavy down pour which lasted for almost three hours in the city destroyed shops, houses, cars and other household goods and services.

Most culverts, drainages and gutters along major roads and streets in the areas were flooded, including nearby houses and shops where personal and commercial wares were destroyed.

However, some of the residents in the affected areas who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity over the incident bemoaned the attitude of the state government since last year when the first flood happened in the affected areas without any prompt response form the latter.

The residents said that, the inability of the state government to open channels of river banks affected the free flow of water during the rainy season.

They said that, 'the state government had promised us since last year to rise to the channelisation of river banks along Omosebi, Pipeline, Royal Sekinat, among others but to no avail".

Also speaking, a business tycoon and resident of one of the affected areas,' Alhaji Abdulwaheed Adigun appealed to the federal government to intervene to curb the menace in the affected areas of Ilorin metropolis, saying that past efforts of the state government at solving the problem had not yielded any result.

Alhaji Adigun said the area started to experience flooding disaster since the dualisation of the Unity-Offa Garage Road.

He however said, "The road was a single lane with about six feet wide and deep drainage on both sides of the single lane road. We were not experiencing this annual flood then. But since government constructed the dual carriage road, the drainage on both sides of the road was reduced to about three feet. It's now narrow! So, it cannot contain the volume of water from such areas like Offa Garage, Gaa Akanbi, Omoseebi and the rest. And so we have this flooding".

But in a swift reaction to the incident yesterday, the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed said that, the state government would rise to the plights of the people in the affected areas so as to bring succor to the people.

Ahmed who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muideen Akorede said that, ' I have directed the permanent secretaries of Works and Environment to the affected areas in order to give me an on spot assessment so as to rise up to the occasion without further delay'.

Ahmed said the state government is saddened by the incident.

Benue State Commissioner, Ministry of Environment, Nicholas Wende after assessing the situation said that the state needed nothing less than N100 billion to handle the menace.

According to him, government had submitted a request to the federal government for intervention and expected the federal government to also assist in dredging the River Benue as a permanent solution to control the incidences of flood in the state.

He explained that the state government had constituted a committee to identify palliative measures for the control of the flood and steps taken so far include media campaign so people living in flood prone areas would move out.

The confirmation by the commissioner that water released from Lagdo dam would soon get to Benue axis was an indication that the worst was yet to come. From the roundabout at the railway crossing, Makurdi to Wurukum market and Judges quarters on Gboko road was completely taken over by the flood.

The personal residence of the Second Republic governor, Aper Aku, Benue State University (BSU), Living Faith and Dunamis churches, wurukum market, steam fast, were all submerged in water.

Shops and stalls were filled with water, which destroyed goods valued at millions of naira, just as the rain forced motorists to park their cars off the roads.

However, as at the time of compiling this this report, the flood had recede leaving in its wake destruction.