A midnight rainfall accompanied by heavy wind on Saturday night has rendered thousands homeless in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The rain, which started at about 10.08 am damaged many residential buildings, shops, and stalls as well as electricity poles.
As at the time of filing this report, most parts of Ilorin metropolis were without electricity supply while residents engage technicians to retrieve their fallen electricity cable.
At Amule zone of Okelele area, two electricity poles were badly damaged. The most affected areas are Okekere, Oju Ekun, Okelele, Alagbado, Ayegbami-Dada, Dada community, Harmony Estate area, Akerebiata, and Oloje.
It was gathered that rooftops of many houses in all the affected areas were destroyed, while many victims of the destruction have been rendered homeless, especially in such areas as Gaa Akanbi, Murtala Mohammed way, Ibrahim Taiwo road and Agbabiaka.
The state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has commiserated with the victims of the devastating windstorm.
A statement by his Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye said “The governor is saddened by the havoc wreaked on various households in Ilorin, the state capital, and indeed elsewhere across the state by the heavy rainstorm.
“The governor would immediately set up a special disaster response team to collate data of areas affected and determine how the state government can offer support based on available resources. The response team will be announced shortly.
“The governor is also aware of the damage to electric poles during the storm. He has directed relevant agencies to quickly fix the poles as soon as possible to avoid further damage and ensure the restoration of power services”, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association (IEYDA) has called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), federal and Kwara State Government to quickly come to the aid of victims of the windstorm.
