Date: 2019-09-20

Victims affected by flood after heavy rainfall in the Ilorin metropolis have lamented over destruction of their valuables worth millions of Naira.

The downpour, which started on Wednesday evening around 5:00pm and lasted till around 9:00pm, caused untold hardship and losses to residents of the Kwara state capital.

It was gathered that many occupants of affected buildings at Obbo and Unity roads in Ilorin, stayed indoor till Thursday afternoon as water that had enveloped their buildings, prevented them from going out. Also affected were business premises like the old KWACCIMA building at Unity Road, Omowunmi Cooperative Society building at Obbo road, shops, residential houses, churches and mosques.

Items destroyed by the flood include cars, food items, documents and electronic gadgets. Some victims of the flood disaster, who called on the state government to liaise with the federal government to find lasting solution to the problem, lamented that the flood had persisted because channelization project on Asa River was yet to be completed.

One of the affected business owners at Obbo road, Ilorin, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Olororo, said that abandoned work on channelization project of Asa river had brought about frequent flooding in the area.

"The channelization project, which started from Amilegbe area did not get to us here. The excavation and building of walls on sides of the river were not done here as expected. That's why we have flood here every time it rains. With heavy volume of water coming from other areas of the town, we can't escape usual flood.

It was not up to this level earlier this morning. The level keeps increasing", he said. It was also gathered that residents of communities like Amilegbe, Omosebi, Cocacola and Offa Garage suffered effect of the flood.

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has called on the Federal Government to order contractors handling the channelisation of the Asa River in the state back to site, saying the drainage was poorly done and is too narrow to prevent flooding in the areas and loss of human lives and properties.

Abdulrazaq said he had written to the Federal Government about the threats the poor job poses to the people of the state, especially residents of Ilorin.