Kogi: Flood Victims Collapse, Five Dead

By Ayodele Oni

It was a double tragedy for some victims of flood disaster in Kogi state as a storey building where they took refuge collapsed, killing five persons.

The building, which belongs to one Sunday Inajor at Ayah town in Ibaji local government area of Kogi state collapsed Wednesday night and left some unconscious with severe injuries.

The building was among many submerged by the devastating flood that ravaged many communities in Ibaji local government area recently.

It was learnt that following the flooding of bungalows in the affected communities, many residents, that could not be evacuated took refuge in few storey buildings available in their areas, for about a month.

It was gathered that the top floor of the building, which was occupied by many natives of Ayah collapsed Wednesday night leaving heavy casualties.

“A house collapsed at Ayah community, five people died instantly, many are unconscious while many were injured,” a native of Ibaji, Mr. Saturday Aromeh, raised the alarm Thursday morning on a WhatsApp Group – Ibaji Political Connect.

It was gathered that the injured persons are still within the scene of the incident as the flood could not allow rescue operation.

About 10 persons were earlier reported to have died on account of the flood disaster in Ibaji this year.

The resident lamented that both federal and state relief agencies have not shown up in Ibaji since the flood disaster over a month ago despite several alarms raised by different socio-cultural groups, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

“It is surprising that our appeals to various levels of government had fallen on deaf ears, while the people affected by the flood have been passing through hell and now to the extent of dying due to negligence by the agencies responsible for evacuating them.”

Another community, Anaocha in Ibaji local government lamented that People’s means of livelihood have been destroyed by the flooding.

The Ibaji Unity Forum, (IUF) an umbrella socio-cultural group for Ibaji indigenes both at home and in the Diaspora, had sent a save-our-soul letters to the Kogi state government and the National Emergency Relief Agency, (NEMA) to provide relief assistance to the flood victims, but there has not been any official response.

In one of the letters to the Director General of NEMA, the IUF wrote: “we write to solicit urgent support, intervention, relief materials and palliatives for the people of Ibaji whose entire land area is submerged by this year’s (2022) flood.

“The people of Ibaji LGA with a population of over 197,000, according to 2006 Population Census, are urgently in need of the following: Medicals and drugs, food, clothes and temporary shelter (IDP camps) etc.”

The SOS, signed by Stephen Ucholla and Henry Akoje, President and Secretary of the organization respectively, also made a passionate appeal to the state Governor, Yahaya Bello to pay a visit to the flood ravaged communities in Ibaji to evaluate the monumental damages done to lives and property with a view to providing relief assistance to the affected people.