Flood kills five, destroys properties in Abuja estate

• Be on stand by, Lagos tells residents over Oyan dam release 
The once boisterous Trademore Estate, Lugbe,  Abuja, was a shadow of itself, as residents gathered to mourn their losses, following a fierce flood disaster that ravaged the Estate on Sunday night.

The estate, located along Airport road in the FCT, was enmeshed in flood after a heavy rain in the late hours of Sunday and early Monday.  Several houses and vehicles were destroyed by flood.
 
A resident, who refused to disclose his name, said about four dead bodies were recovered on Monday.
 
He said the estate is usually flooded during rainy seasons, though the impact of the last incident was the most disastrous in the last decade.
 

One of the victims reportedly was in his vehicle after buying drugs from a medicine store.  He was said to have sat in his car hoping that the water level would reduce but the water eventually submerged him and his new Land Rover.  
 
MEANWHILE, Lagos State Government has alerted residents, especially those in areas contiguous to the Ogun River about the continuous steady release of water from the Oyan Dam, urging them to be on standby.
 
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello,  in a statement,  said officials of the state have been monitoring the release, which was earlier announced through an advisory.
 
He listed areas where the release of water is being felt as Isheri North, Kara, Itowolo, Ajegunle, Majidun and Ogolonto.
 
He stated that it is the intensity of the rainfall recorded in Lagos and connecting rivers that determines the level to be released by the Oyan Dam authorities.
 
He added that in the last one week, the volume of water released has ranged from 15,000 milliliters through to 21,000 and reducing to 17,000 milliliters on Monday.
 
Bello said as more water is released from Oyan Dam, peaking in October, residents in low-lying areas should be on standby to move to higher grounds. 
 
Specifically, he said residents who live downstream of Isheri Olofin up to part of Agboyi  would experience flooding as  earlier alerted.

Similarly, he said, the Onikoyi/Agelete community at IBA New Town at IBA LCDA are also experiencing  flooding due to their closeness to the Yewa River.