A devastating flood that wreaked havoc in Agege local area of Lagos state after a torrential rainfall last Thursday has now left at least eight person missing.
The missing persons are a yet-to-be-identified mother, her baby and six other persons including a man identified simply as Umar,
It’s gathered that during the heavy downpour on Thursday, flood submerged a canal around the Abattoir area in Agege and levelled up with a bridge making it impassable for motorists and residents to navigate their destinations in the area.
A resident, who identified himself simply as Wasiu, said a tricycle operation had a close shave with death, adding that during the operator’s near-death incident, a woman while backing her child, tripped and fell into the flood.
As the flood was washing the mother and her child away, Wasiu said another resident, Umar, attempted to rescue the mother and her child by jumping into the flood, adding that the current of the flood washed the three of them into the canal.
Wasiu said, “The owner of the tricycle is my friend. He is a mechanic who stays in Oko-Oba. He was coming from Agege but when he got to the bridge, he realised flood had overrun the bridge and waited but suddenly lost control of the tricycle. As the tricycle moved forward, the flood dragged him and the tricycle into the canal.
“He was the only one in the tricycle and he survived because he swam out of the canal. His cloth got torn and people gave him something to wear. He is recuperating in the hospital.
However, Umar’s neighbour told PUNCH that they got to know of the incident when people raised the alarm as the flood was sweeping them away.
Hsaid “We waited for the rain to subside. On the second day, we combed the entire area hoping to see the corpses. Even this morning (Saturday), some of our residents still did but we found nothing.”
However, in another interview with one of our correspondents, another resident, who gave his name simply as Bamidele, said two tricycles were involved in the incident.
He added that while one of the tricycle operators escaped, the other tricycle operator and his passengers were swept away by the flood.
Bamidele said, “They were two tricycle operators involved. The tricycle operator that did not carry passengers jumped out and survived. The flood carried the other tricycle operator, his tricycle and his passengers away. One tricycle was later recovered.
“It is difficult to know anything about their rescue because they don’t recover the corpses of victims around here, it is usually around Aboru or Itele in Ayetoro, Ogun State. We only go there if we know the victims involved.”
The Chairman, Orile Agege Local Council Development Area, Johnson Babatunde, when contacted, confirmed the incident.
“I’ve gotten the report. It happened at Abattoir beside Total Filling Station. Our people need enlightenment. How can you see a flood and decide to enter it? I don’t know what is happening to all these tricycle operators.
“There were five people in the tricycle. People were there waiting because of the flood,” he said, saying he wondered why the tricycle operator decided to enter the flood even when other people waited.
Asked if the corpses of any of the victims had been recovered or if anyone of them was rescued, Babatunde said, “We have not seen them, there is no update yet.”
The Divisional Police Officer for Abattoir Police Station, CSP Olatunji Oladimeji, said they got too many conflicting reports which made it difficult for them to ascertain the level of damage and casualties.
He added that no one has reported about missing or dead loved ones.