A lady, Queen, in her early twenties, has been swept away while attempting to cross a flooded bridge in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, while returning from work in a suburb
This was disclosed in a TrackaNG report titled “How Poor Construction of Bridge is Killing Abuja Residents“.
According to the report, the unfortunate incident happened recently in Mapa, Dutse ward, in Bwari Area Council of Abuja.
It noted that in the last three years, at least five persons have drowned due to a faulty bridge that gets flooded whenever there is a heavy downpour.
Meanwhile, the bridge serves as the main route for residents to move in and out of their neighbourhood.
The report further showed that practically every year, heavy rains in September cause it to get overflooded thereby hampering the movement of residents of the affected community.
Efforts by the residents to reach the relevant authorities to fix the problem are yet to yield fruit.
The report stated: “A faulty bridge in Abuja kills residents whenever it rains and gets flooded. Residents are calling on the government to fix the problem.
“In the past three years, five people have drowned in Mapa, Dutse ward, Bwari Area Council, FCT, due to a faulty bridge that got overflooded during incessant rains in September. The bridge is the major access road in and out of the community, and it gets flooded every year whenever it rains.
“Queen, a lady in her early twenties, living in the community, died from trying to cross the bridge on Tuesday on her way back from work.
“Her body is yet to be found.
“Residents who were trying to cross the water on the bridge saw her drowning but couldn’t save her because they were trying to save themselves from also drowning.”
According to Yunusa Luka, the youth leader, residents are yet to find her corpse after searching but have reported the incident to the police.
Luka said: “Up til now, we have not found her corpse.
“We have been searching nearby streams and river banks but couldn’t find her.
“We need the help of TrackaNG to come and help us take our cry to the appropriate authorities and relevant places to come to our aid.”
The residents lamented that they have been going through this for over twenty-eight years.
The community is handicapped and locked in during the rainy season.
People who have businesses outside the community can’t leave, and students in secondary school can’t go to school whenever it rains due to the possibility of drowning.
The community are calling on the government to save them and do something about the bridge.
“We need help from our leaders to come to our aid and save us and save our children from dying while trying to cross the water.
“We urge Hon. John Gabaya Shekwogaza, the Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Rt. Hon. Micah Jiba representing Abuja North Federal Constituency, Senator Phillip Aduda, representing FCT Abuja, and FCT Minister of state Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, to urgently look into this issue and repair the bridge to enable the community to survive rains and flood.
“This is an emergency in the nation’s capital and must be addressed,” said Yunusa, the youth leader of the community. Read more.
—
©Copyright 2022 News Band
(If you would like to receive CURRENT NEWS updates from News Band on WhatsApp, join here; for Telegram, join here. If the group is full, kindly send WhatsApp/Telegram message to +234 905 038 2526. You can also send eyewitness accounts/reports/articles to elstimmy@gmail.com; follow us on twitter @News Band; like our Facebook page: News Band.)
