Passengers stranded as flood takes over Abuja-Lokoja highway
Hundreds of travellers on the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene highway were left stranded after parts of the road were submerged by flood caused by a four-hour rainfall on Saturday.
Among those stranded was the Senator from Kogi West District, Senator Smart Adeyemi.
According to him, “The flood was devastating. I witnessed how some vehicles were swept away from the highway.
”I and many travellers can no longer continue with our journey. We have become stranded. There is no other way than to turn back to Abuja.”
One of the areas affected was between Kwali and Abaji. About three buses were swept off the busy highway with many passengers trapped.
Many vehicles from Abuja could not proceed to Lokoja, Okene and the southern parts.
Another passenger, Hadiza Abdulkareem said, “We have waited for 45 minutes for the flood to subside.
“I think the relevant agencies should sustain the warning enlightenment to travellers in this rainy season.”
The Director-General (DG) of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mr. Abass Idris, has attributed the flood incident to blocked drainage.
The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had advised FCT residents to prepare for the rainy season and avoid environmental practices that could lead to flooding.
The DG stated that preparedness and sensitization remained key towards reducing disasters in the FCT.
He appealed to residents to desist from acts, such as indiscriminate waste disposal into water channels and rivers, building on waterways and riverbanks as well as diverting water channels.
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Kamila/The nation
