• Minister raises the alarm over burst dam
Fred Itua, Abuja
Two residents of Kokosuz, a border community between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, died on Saturday night, during a ravaging flood which swept across the country’s capital.
Two of the victims were Ambrose Umelelle, 26, and Esther Aka, 20.
Eyewitnesses linked the downpour to a burst dam in the area.
They claimed that the dam gave way during the downpour and that houses were overtaken by flood.
The deceased were among the four whose vehicle was carried away by the flood.
One of the passengers was, however, lucky as he reportedly jumped out of the vehiclewhile the remaining passenger is still being searched for by the Search and Rescue team of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Permanent Secretary, Chinyeaka Ohaa, currently acting for the FCT minister, paid a condolence visit to the families of the victims and disclosed how engineers have been directed to study the situation and guide against future occurrence.
“I have directed that our team of engineers should be dispatched to study the situation with a view to stemming future occurrence.
“From all indications, this is a natural disaster. I am happy that our team is on ground for the search and rescue operations,” he said.
Briefing the permanent secretary on the incident, acting deputy director, Forecasting, Response and Mitigation, Florence Wenegieme, indicated that upon receiving the information last Saturday night, the agency immediately arrived the location of the incident and swung into action.
She said the efforts yielded results when they recovered the bodies of the two dead persons early Sunday morning, as well as the Toyota Sienna Space-wagon in which they were travelling.
“We went as far as three kilometres into the waterway without seeing the body. The search continues.”
Meanwhile, the FCT Administration has called on residents to be alert to possibilities of flood as the rainy season enters its peak in the coming months.
FCTA also reiterated constant calls on residents to avoid illegal developments as well as dumping of refuse on water rights-of-way.