A rainstorm on Wednesday battered Jos South Local Council of Plateau State, causing extensive destruction in the Bukuru community.

The storm pulled down several houses and damaged the Jos South Council Secretariat gate.

Confirming the incident to reporters in Jos, the Chairman of Jos South Council, Silas Patrick Dung, described the storm as unusually violent, saying it uprooted the four columns supporting the Secretariat gate house and destroyed several homes in the area.

“For the storm to destroy the Council Secretariat gate built with 25mm rods tells you that it must be a very strong rainstorm,” he said.

Dung, who toured the affected areas with officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said about six houses had been completely destroyed, while several others had their roofs blown off and fences pulled down.

“From what we can ascertain at the moment, we have counted about six houses that were destroyed. We are still going round the community and waiting to hear from other locations if the extent of the damage is more than what we are able to assess now,” he explained.

He attributed the incident to strong winds, stressing that it was a natural disaster. “It’s a natural disaster and not man-made because there is nothing anyone could have done to stop the storm,” he added.

The chairman assured that the council would take measures to mitigate further risks. “We are trying to pull down the structure so as to avert further risk the vandalised part will cause to the people,” he stated.
Photo: Damaged gate kk. Caption: Damaged Jos South Council Secretariat gate.