Residents of many flood-prone communities in Delta State are groaning as their areas have been submerged following two days of heavy torrential downpours.
The early morning heavy downpours on Monday and Tuesday, which lasted for several hours respectively, disrupted business activities while many students, soaked in their uniforms, were sighted returning home as they found it difficult to get commercial buses and tricycles to convey them to their destinations.
Many residents could not even attempt to come out of their flooded environment for the fear of the unknown.
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Mostly affected areas, according to PUNCH Metro investigations, included the popular Ginuwa community in Warri South Local Government Area as well as some streets in Oduma Layout, off new Okpe road, former Cranefield road, and the Red Beret Police Road notably parts of Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo and other neighbouring communities in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
Consequently, many residents of the affected areas have been lamenting over the havoc caused them following the flooding in the localities which they attributed mainly to bad drainage systems.
In their submissions, affected residents in Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo and in main Warri metropolis accused the Delta State government of being adamant about the prior flood warnings from different relevant Federal Government agencies notably the Nigeria Environmental Management Agency, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency and Nigeria Meteorological Agency.
They are urging the state government to immediately intervene by coming to the rescue of the flood victims as well as evacuate those living in flood-prone areas across the state.
Commenting on the incident, the Chairman of Odume Layout residents association, Osuogu, appealed to the Delta State Government and other interventionist agencies to come to their aid by constructing the access roads in the adjoining streets to the New Okpe road as well as constructing bigger drainages in the locality to pave way for easy flow of the water to the drains.
Tragedy struck, in the early hours of Tuesday, at the Amarata suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital as seven persons lost their lives after inhaling fumes from power generating set (generator) placed inside a music studio.
The incident, occured along Transformer Road, Amarata in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
According to some residents, the deceased were working in the recording studio, owned by one of them, identified as Akpos Barakubo.
They were said to have worked late into the night on Monday using a generator due to the poor power supply situation in the state and may have slept off leaving the generator running in the studio lacking Ng proper ventilation.
It was learned that six of the victims were discovered dead Tuesday morning while one who was unconscious was rushed to the hospital but later gave up the ghost.
Some of the victims were said to be students of the Niger Delta University (NDU), who are into the recording business to help themselves in school.
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Security operatives had condoned off the area as at press time with the corpses evacuated and deposited at the morgue.
A resident, simply identified as Damion blamed the tragic incident on the poor power supply situation in the state.
He said: “If there was public power supply maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this circumstances.
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“Seven able-bodied young men just died like that because of the failure of government. The most annoying thing is that tomorrow, the PHED personnel will come with ladder to disconnect light that they are not supplying. How can people be spending their money in fueling generators despite the current hardship in Nigeria, even after paying for light bills?”
Attempt to get the reaction of the Spokesman of the state police command, ASP Musa Muhammed, proved abortive as his mobile phone line was not going through.
A popular pastor, Stanley Ogbonna, has allegedly driven his estranged wife, Chioma, and six children out of their house in Abuja.
Ogbonna, a General Overseer of the God’s Spring Assembly, also known as Glass Church, Kubwa, Abuja, was said to be in an unsettling relationship with his wife, which led to their divorce.
He was accused of telling the court he had sold his properties to prevent the embattled wife from having a share of his wealth.
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In a clip that went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, Chioma was seen accusing the pastor of infidelity and domestic abuse, among others.
She narrated how she had suffered with the pastor for over 18 to 19 years with six children and how the husband had packed his properties out of the house while sleeping around with different women.
Properties thrown out
She said, “See him, God will help me. This is a pastor. Look at him. This is the pastor, Stanley Ogbonna. He called the police and evicted me and the children out of the house.
“Look at me, look at my properties all outside unannounced. We were in the house this afternoon; he just came to the house with the police and threw my things away. He already packed his things out of the house for years, sleeping around.
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Pastor Stanley Ogbonna
“Today, he has come to disgrace me after labouring with him for 18 years, 19 years. See what the General Overseer of God’s Wing Assembly, Glass Church, Kubwa, is doing. I’m his wife, who laboured with him for 19 years.
“The world needs to come into this and give me justice for suffering me for all these years after giving him six children. His last child is a four-year-old.
“Look at me outside and my properties. He feels nobody will speak for me. Jehovah will speak for me,” Chioma added.
Efforts to reach the pastor and the church to discuss the wife’s allegation proved abortive. The church’s inquiry number was unreachable, and the mail sent has not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.
On April 18, the church held a programme titled “Happy Birthday in perfect grace” to celebrate Ogbonna’s birthday.
He said the suspect who is a native of Ekakpamre Community in Ughelli North LGA opened fire on the police operatives upon sighting them.
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According to SP Edafe, “In the ensuing gun duel, the suspect sustained serious gunshot injuries and was taken to the General Hospital Ughelli where he died while receiving treatment.”
He said, “Efforts are being intensified to arrest other gang members as contained in the intel.”