By Dare Akogun
Two occupants in a moving car narrowly escaped death on Thursday evening along Unity Road in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital when a political signpost fell on their vehicle during torrential rain.
The rain which fell for a few minutes and was accompanied by a strong windstorm wreaked havoc in the city damaging signposts, cars, buildings, electric poles, and wires.
The rain which was accompanied by a strong windstorm also damaged buildings in some parts of Ilorin West and Ilorin South Local government areas of the state.
A Fallen Signpost in Taiwo area of Ilorin PHOTO CREDIT : TOYIN SAHEED
It was gathered that residents of Taiwo, Unity, Itamodu, and other areas in the Ilorin metropolis were left counting their losses after the rainstorm destroyed property including buildings, cars, signposts, and shops estimated at several millions of Naira.
Several signposts were brought down, blocking the major road of Sawmill, Taiwo, and Unity areas of the metropolis.
Kwara State Fire Service, however, said that the incident did not claim any life adding that two occupants of a car on which a signpost fell on Unity Road escaped from the car.
Spokesman of the state Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said that the rainstorm damaged many houses in Taiwo Isale, Unity road, and Ita Amodu areas among other areas of the town.
“What would have been the worst was the fallen political signposts which fell on a car at Unity road adding that the occupants of the car had gone down before men of the fire service came to their rescue,” he said.
Adekunle said that the Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Famuyiwa, advised the people of the state to always remain indoors anytime they observed that rain was going to fall.
Famiyiwa also warned vehicle owners and drivers to keep off the streets whenever rain was falling or about to fall for the safety of their lives.
Also speaking on the incident, the Director General of Kwara State Signage and Advertisement (KWASAA), Olorunshola Omotayo, said efforts are ongoing to clear the falling signposts off the road to allow free flow of traffic adding that the damage would also be evaluated.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has sympathized with residents of the state over rainstorms, and flooding incidents.
The governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye described the incident as unfortunate.
He sympathized with residents of Ilorin and some communities in the state who were affected by the rainstorm and flooding of Thursday night.
“The Governor described the incidents as unfortunate. The Governor is sad about the havoc that the rainstorm wreaked on public and private properties, especially in the Ilorin metropolis, Oke Ero, and some other areas,” according to a government statement on Friday,” the statement read.
“The Governor is aware of and commends the ongoing efforts of relevant government agencies to evacuate the many fallen signposts and clear the highways for free movement of traffic.
“While the state government will collaborate with the Federal Government to continually tackle the question of flooding, the government appeals to members of the public to avoid littering the drainages or blocking the free flow of water.”
