For the second time in about a year, Trademore Estate in the Lugbe Area of Abuja has been overtaken by flood.
Videos and pictures shared online showed residents calling on the Federal Government for help.
Last year, when flood took over the estate, the government had moved to demolish houses said to be on the right way of water but some residents resisted and staged protests.
However, the flood situation repeated itself on Monday morning, with residents calling for help.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has since conducted an assessment of the situation.
Speaking during the assessment, acting Director-General (D-G) of FEMD, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, said, “There was no distress call from the residents of Trademore Estate. It was a passerby that saw the flooding and called us and there was no report of anybody missing.
“I am here with some members of the residents’ association and none of them reported that somebody is missing, dead or that somebody was drawn.
“If there is any, we have not received such a report,” Wenegieme said.
Confirming FEMD’s position, a security man with Pento Security Guard, Mr Eborn Sunday, equally said: “I am not aware of anyone that was killed by the flash flood this morning.
“We were on duty when the rain started around 7 a.m. Suddenly we saw the water level rising up and we started securing our belongings.
“After that, we started helping people whose houses were being submerged to safety. The water flooded the houses towards the estate gate up to window level, but no life was lost.”
FEMD, along with officials from the National Emergency Management Agency, Department of Development Control, Department of Engineering Services, and Fire Service were at the scene to assess the situation.
Wenegieme explained while speaking to journalists that the emergency officials were not supposed to be at the estate because it was declared a disaster zone in 2022 due to the recurring flooding in the area.
Wenegieme said that the 2023 incident submerged almost all the houses in the estate.
She equally said that her team was not supposed to be at the estate because the residents had dragged FCT Administration to court over plans to demolish all houses built on waterways.
She said that about 116 houses were marked for demolition because they were built on waterways, but FCTA was restrained from removing the houses by a Court Injunction obtained by the residents.
According to her, the houses that were submerged by the flash flood were part of the 116 houses marked for demolition for sitting on flood plain.
“The injunction stopped FCTA from removing all obstruction along the waterway, which was part of the solution to the lingering challenge.
“The residents were also advised to move out of the area, but they refused to move.
“We are here again to advise them that they should move out of the location in their own interest,” she said.
