BY OUR REPORTERS

LAGOS — Residents of Lagos State were, yesterday, enveloped by flood following heavy downpour that started Wednesday night.

A number of houses and roads were submerged by the flood caused by the rain that lasted several hours.

Sections of Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway were cut off on both sides by the flood, leading to a gridlock.

Many road users were forced to return home or seek alternative routes, while others remained at the spot, waiting for the flood to abate.

A portion of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road by Mobil Filling Station was submerged, as were some areas in Mafoluku, Oshodi.

Many residents could not make it to their offices and business places yesterday as most areas in the state were heavily flooded.

Vanguard learnt that in some areas, many property were swept away and some major roads in the state were blocked.

Some of the worst hit areas include: Popo Igunnu, Jimoh and Ago-Hausa Streets, all in Okokomaiko, Iba Local Council Development Area; Jakande in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area; Sango, Igi avenue, GRA Ikeja, Gbolahan Bankole Street in Igando LCDA, Aboru; Ipaja-Ayobo, Shogunle, Apapa, among others.

Aiyepe Street in Itire, Canal Pepple Road, Shomolu, Agbado-Ijaiye, Ikola, Agbado-Okeodo LCDA, Akintan, Cele, Bakery Bus Stop, all in Ejigbo LCDA; Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation , NNPC at Ejigbo LCDA had its fence destroyed during the downpour.

Disaster on bridge linking Lagos and Ogun

The bridge linking Lagos and Ogun states at Ayobo, in Ayobo/Ipaja Local Council Development Area, was submerged.

Six adults and a child were reportedly carried away by the flood while they attempted to cross from Ogun to Lagos State.

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At Okokomaiko, over 500 pupils of Fazil Omar Ahmadiya public Nursery and Primary School 1, 11 and 111, were sent home by the Headmaster after the entire school premises was flooded.

A pupil of the school, Chukwuemeka Amadi said that one of the headmistresses of the three schools, Mrs. Asa sent them home because the entire premises including the classrooms had all been submerged in flood.

On Jimoh Street, the flood destroyed property of the residents leaving many to bail out water from their living rooms.

Mr. Sam Adebowale, a resident of the area, said that the water destroyed their property because their living rooms were submerged by the flood.

Adebowale lamented that the damage was due to the fact that the drainage canals servicing the area were not cleared by the state government before the commencement of the rain.

At Jakande in Okokomaiko, residents groaned as they were left stranded for hours because the commercial vehicles and Motor cycle operators popularly called Okada plying the routes refused to ply the flooded road.