Metro

Flood submerges Trademore Estate in Abuja

Flood water has submerged the popular Trademore Estate in the Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja following downpour on Monday morning.

Two persons have been reportedly taken away by the flood.

The flood took over the estate located on Airport Road in Abuja after a heavy downpour on Monday morning, which lasted for some hours, rendering thousands of people homeless and properties destroyed.

In a video circulated on Monday morning by an unidentified woman whose voice was heard, the estate was seen almost completely submerged by the flood, while some properties were seen outside homes inside the rain.

“This is Trademore Estate, federal government we are pleading, two persons just died now, the water took them away. Two persons swept away now by this water, please we are begging. FCT minister come and do something, we are appealing.

“See the Police Station is gone. These are people’s residences, and water is everywhere. Minister of FCT, Honourable Wike, please come to Trademore estate, people are dying. Two people just died this morning, what a pity,” she said in the video.

It be recalled that the flooding in the estate has been a perennial occurrence every rainy season, which made the FCT Administration promise to tackle it, but nothing has been done.

The FCDA had announced last year that it would demolish structures on waterways in the estate and other estates across the FCT, but residents of the affected areas vehemently opposed it.

In a statement signed by the FCDA executive director, Shehu Ahmed, he said the structures in communities such as Trademore Estate, disrupting the natural water flow, were responsible for flooding recorded in some parts of the city, despite the Administration marking many buildings in the estate, the occupants refused to vacate.

The planned demolition was a result of the continuous flood that has reportedly claimed the lives of some residents and destroyed several houses, vehicles, shops, and other properties damaged in the estate.

The residents during a protest said that many of them were still paying mortgage on their houses, which was why they were kicking against plans by the FCT authorities to demolish structures in the estate.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), over the weekend predicted thundery and rainy weather conditions from Sunday to Tuesday across the country.

NiMet weather outlook released at the weekend in Abuja forecasted morning thunderstorms over the North-Central states in places like; Plateau, Nasarawa, FCT, Benue, and Niger, during the morning hours. Also, later in the day, there would be prospects of thunderstorms over parts of; Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.

However, the FCT Emergency Department (FEMD), dismissed as untrue, media reports that two persons lost their lives to the devastating floods at Trade More Estate Lugbe.

In the statement, the Ag Director General of FEMD, Mrs Florence Dawon Wenegieme after an assessment of affected areas told newsmen; “We did not receive any distress call from Trademore. We saw the viral video and we went there to carry out an assessment. We interviewed some residents and they confirmed that no life was lost to the floods.

“We activated NEMA, FCT Fire Service, Department of Development Control and Department of Engineering Services. According to Wenegieme, the houses submerged by the floods today, were PART OF the 116 structures marked for demolition in 2023 when Trade More was declared a disaster zone.”

She stated that FCTA was prevented from removing the structures by a court injunction instituted by the Association of Residents of Trade More.

The Ag DG lamented that a primary school with about 500 pupils, management, and staff is also sitting on the water channel, describing it as a disaster waiting to happen.

She also disclosed that structures earlier demolished by the Department of Development Control were been rebuilt or renovated by the owners.”

Mrs Wenegieme appealed to residents in houses marked for demolition at Trademore to relocate, she also advised the owner of Trademore to provide all needed infrastructure to avert a reoccurrence of flash floods that may lead to loss of lives at the Estate, praying that it does not happen at night.

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