Flood Claims 15 Lives in Ibadan

No fewer than 15 people lost their lives in a flood while property worth several millions of naira were destroyed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Ten lives were said to have been lost at Apete area of the city due to the sudden collapse of make-shift bridge which people in the area have been using since.
And following the deaths recorded at Apete bridge, angry youths yesterday attacked and vandalized the work station of the contractor handling construction of the Ijokodo-Apete road and the bridge linking the two communities, destroying equipment and property at the station.
It was gathered that a white garment church (C&S) and some buildings built few metres away from the river bank were submerged, resulting in the loss of property while five people including three children of a woman said to be under spiritual refuge in that church were taken away by the flood.
On Apete’s incident, the victims were said to be part of the huge crowd that fell over the make-shift bridge after the rain.
An eye witness who gave his name as Ariyo said he was part of the team that rescued some people who had also fallen over the bridge.
According to him, the make- shift bridge had become a no-go area for many residents in the Apete community because the river overflows its bank as a result of rain.
He said when the rain which started around 4pm stopped, some of the residents decided to make use of the makeshift bridge and in the process fell into the river and were washed away.
“It was around 6:30pm that it happened. We just heard the cries of people who fell into the river and I decided to join the rescue team and we eventually succeeded in rescuing about six people while no fewer than 10 others were washed away,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command has confirmed that some people were swept away by flood at Apete in Ido Local Government Area of the state but could not confirm the number of victims.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olabisi Ilobanafor, however, said the command had not seen any corpse on the Apete River to confirm the actual number of people involved.