About a week after a road in Abuja was flooded, a similar situation occurred on the same road
Residents and road users woke up on Friday after the night’s rain to a flooded road.
The flood submerged a section of the road within Galadimawa roundabout, leading to the Abuja airport. The road which is underneath an overhead bridge is facing a water canal.
The flood resulted in a hole that officials of FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated to be up to 30 to 40 feet.
An SUV with two passengers was taken over by the flood and washed off. The driver was rescued but his passenger slipped away. The incident occurred between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday.
FEMA identified the victim as Anthony Okwecheme, a director of finance and accounts at the FCT high court.
Florence Wenegieme, a director at FEMA confirmed the incident. She said even though the driver was rescued and the vehicle later found, rescue mission is still ongoing for Mr Okwecheme.
“We are still on ground. We cannot leave here without finding the missing person”, said the FEMA official around 5:30 pm. “We have sent our rescue officers and local divers to take the search deeper into Piwoyi axis and they are still searching.”
According to witnesses, the SUV plunged into the flooded road and was immediately waterlogged. The passengers alighted to meet water above their stomachs.
“We could only save the driver. The aged man was holding a tree and screaming for help but we could not save him as the flood came with pressure and washed him away,” Simon Bayaro, one of the witnesses said.
Bridge at Galadirmawa where man got drowned after Friday morning rain
According to a family member of the victim who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES but refused to mention his name, a cash reward would be given to anybody who finds the missing victim.
Blame Game
This incident is coming exactly a week after a familiar flood swept across same road in Galadimawa.
Residents and road users blamed the situation on government’s poor management of sewages and water channels in the Nigerian capital.
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A Chinese construction company working on a road close to the Galadimawa roundabout was also faulted for not creating another water way.
“They should have created another channel for water to move because this channel is too small to contain the volume of water coming here”, said Obinna Nwasoro, a resident.
“Most of these waters are coming from all the way from Maraba and this is there hitting point, that is why the whole place is waterlogged. This Chinese people should have opened another water channel.”
The Abuja administration had blamed the repeated flooding in the area on houses built on water channels. The government recently commenced the demolition of such houses.
