Mr Augustine Ojo, a father of seven, has reportedly died after being swept away by floodwaters at Iguovbiobo community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State.
The 30-year-old man was reported to have fallen into a deep gully when returning home on his motorcycle.
It was gathered that the deceased was attempting to cross a makeshift wooden bridge spanning the gully when he lost his life.
The bridge was said to have collapsed after floodwaters washed away the soil supporting it, throwing the deceased and his motorcycle into the raging torrent.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said the victim was swept away by the fast-moving floodwaters despite desperate rescue efforts by community members.
According to him, the victim’s body was recovered about six hours later after an intensive search conducted by youths and other villagers.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the youth leader, Augustine Evbuomwan, blamed the incident on the alleged diversion of stormwater by a construction company handling the rehabilitation of the Benin–Auchi Road for the Federal Ministry of Works.
He added that the drainage channels constructed along the highway now discharge large volumes of floodwater into the community, triggering severe erosion that has split the settlement into two.
The erosion has become a major danger to residents, with schoolchildren and adults forced to cross the expanding gully on makeshift wooden bridges to access their homes, schools and farms,” he added.
Evbuomwan alleged that repeated appeals to the construction company to address the drainage challenge had produced no result, claiming that residents were instead intimidated whenever they raised concerns.
He appealed to the Edo State Government and other relevant authorities to urgently intervene to prevent further loss of lives and property.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the Edo State Emergency Management Agency, EDOSEMA, Jerry Idahosa, said the incident had not yet been officially reported to the agency.
