Flood sweeps away bodies from cemeteries in Edo
Floods continue to devastate and submerge communities along the River Niger, with bodies being swept away in the Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to reports, corpses have been washed away in the Udaba community within the locality.
Joseph Odemokpai, the Councillor representing Ward 8 of Udaba, Ofukpu, Agbavo, and Osomhegbe in the local government, disclosed this information during a conversation with journalists in Benin City.
Odemokpai also reported that several individuals have reportedly lost their lives in the area due to the severe cold resulting from the flood.
He stated that the flood situation remains dire, with water levels still high in the affected communities. “The entire area is devastated by the flood, and we are doing our best to relocate our people to a safer location,” he said.
“The flood situation is the same also in Ward 9 and Ward 10, which include Anegbete, Udochi, Ogomere, and Ifekhu, Ofukpo, among other communities in all the affected local governments.
“In Udaba, some dead bodies have been washed away from the graves by the flood. Some people have even died due to the severe cold caused by the flood.
“Houses, farmlands such as cassava, rice, yam, and other crops were submerged; farm produce, livestock, and property were swept away by the ravaging flood,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Odemokpai urged the federal, state, and local governments to step in and provide assistance to the affected communities.
He acknowledged that the local government authorities are taking some measures in response, while awaiting support from the state and federal governments to bolster their efforts.
Furthermore, he called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EdoSEMA) to lend their support to the communities in need.
The local governments affected by the flood in the state are Etsako East, Etsako Central, and Esan South East, while some of the communities affected include Udaba, Anegbete, Ekperi, Osomhegbe, Ogoimeri, Iowawa, Ofukpu, Ifekhu, Agenebode, Ubiaja, Ilushi, among others.