A viral video on social media has shown the flooding of the Trademore Estate in Abuja, with reports of two lives lost.
But the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has dismissed as untrue, the reports of deaths on Monday.
Every year in the last four years or more the Estate has been in the news, more for flooding, submersion of homes, deaths, and a bitter battle in court between government and estate dwellers.
A video trending on social media Monday, alleged that two persons were swept away by the floods at the Estate in Lugbe, a suburb of Abuja.
The Acting Director-General of FEMD, Mrs. Florence Wenegieme after an assessment of affected areas discovered that no life was lost.
She said, “We did not receive any distress call from TradeMore. We saw the viral video and we went there to carryout an on-the-spot assessment. We interviewed some residents and they confirmed that no life was lost to the floods.”
“We activated all emergency stakeholders including NEMA, FCT Fire Service, Department of Development Control and Department of Engineering Services,” the DG added.
According to her, the houses submerged by the floods Monday, were part of the 116 structures earlier marked for demolition in 2023, when the Estate was declared a disaster zone.
She recalled that FCTA was prevented from removing the structures by a court injunction as instituted by the Association of residents.
The DG lamented that a primary school with about 500 pupils, management and staff, is also sitting on the water channel; describing it as a disaster waiting to happen.
Wenegieme lamented that structures earlier demolished by the Department of Development Control were being rebuilt or renovated by the owners.
She, however, appealed to residents in houses marked for demolition at the estate to relocate.
Wenegieme advised the estate developer to provide all the needed infrastructure to avert a re-occurrence of flash floods that may lead to any loss of live(s).
● Additional report by Abuja Digest.
