Flooding: Six-year-old hawker missing, seven others rescued as rainstorm wreaks havoc in Ilorin

A six-year-old hawker was declared missing, while seven persons were rescued following a downpour in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Saturday.

The hawker was declared missing at the Lower Taiwo Road of the state capital, while the seven persons were rescued from a collapsed building around the C&S Church on Murtala Muhammed Road by the state fire service rescue team.

Speaking with DAILY POST on Sunday, the Director, Kwara State Fire Service, Abdulwaheed Yakubu, said “The service had been on rescue operations across the state since Saturday’s downpour, which destroyed many people’s life and property.

“Part of the operations was the rescue work carried out around 23.21hours on Sunday, opposite C&S Church at Murtala Muhammed Road of Ilorin.

“Seven able-bodied men were rescued alive and taken to the state general hospital, Surulere in the state capital, for medical checkup.

“The tremendous effort was achieved through the special assistance of the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Suleiman R. Iliasu, communicating with the appropriate channels,” he added.

He said affected places included Ita-Egba and Emir’s road among others.

The fire director urged the public to play safe wherever they find themselves during this period of incessant downpour.

Meanwhile, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has commiserated with families affected in the Saturday’s downpour.

A statement by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, in Ilorin on Sunday, said “The governor is saddened by the havoc wrecked on various households in Ilorin, the state capital and indeed elsewhere across the state by the rainstorm.

“He sends his heartfelt commiseration and a message of hope to such families in this trying time,” the statement stated.

While urging the federal government to urgently consider Kwara state for special support, the statement disclosed that “The governor for his part, is immediately setting up a special disaster response team to collate data of areas affected and determine how the state government can offer support based on available resources.

“The governor is also aware of the damage to electric poles during the storm, and has directed relevant agencies to quickly fix the poles as soon as possible to avoid further damage and ensure the restoration of power services,” the statement added.