LAGOS, Nigeria — Eight residents of Agege, a bustling neighborhood in Lagos, including an unidentified mother, her baby, and a man known simply as Umar, are feared missing after a flood induced by torrential rain swept them away on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
The fierce downpour overwhelmed a canal around the Abattoir area, creating a river where a street once was and trapping residents and motorists.
Among those caught in the storm was a local tricycle operator who narrowly escaped when the flood swept his vehicle into the canal.
“He was the only one in the tricycle, and he survived because he swam out of the canal,” a friend and fellow resident, Wasiu, recounted. The operator, recovering in the hospital, was one of the lucky ones.
Others were not so fortunate. “A woman, who carried her child at her back, tried to maneuver the flood but lost control,” Wasiu continued.
As the waters swept the mother and child away, Umar jumped in, hoping to rescue them. Tragically, the flood’s current swept all three into the canal. They have not been seen since.
Umar’s neighbor, still in shock from the incident, said, “When we heard the noise, we quickly rushed out but when we got outside, there was nothing anyone could do.”
In the days following the tragedy, the community has been gripped by a desperate search.
“We waited for the rain to subside. On the second day, we combed the entire area hoping to see the corpses. Even this morning, some of our residents still did, but we found nothing,” Umar’s neighbor explained.
Another resident, Bamidele, highlighted the scale of the disaster, noting that a second tricycle operator and his passengers were also swept away.
Yet the local authorities’ response to the disaster has been a source of frustration.
Chairman of Orile Agege Local Council Development Area, Johnson Babatunde, confirmed the incident on Monday, June 19, 2023, but questioned the victims’ judgment. “How can you see a flood and decide to enter it? I don’t know what is happening to all these tricycle operators,” he commented.
The police investigation, led by Divisional Police Officer CSP Olatunji Oladimeji, has been stymied by the lack of direct witnesses. “Everyone we spoke with could not confirm it. They kept saying they heard about it,” he stated, adding that no formal reports have been made by families or friends of the victims.
As the investigation and search continue, Kunle Adeshina, Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Environment, noted that the flooding could have been mitigated by an ongoing drainage expansion project in the area.
The incident, he suggested, was a tragic reminder of the power of nature.
“When it rained, especially in flood-prone areas, we have always told people to refrain from underrating the power of water,” he said, re-emphasizing the importance of the ongoing public safety campaign.
