The residents of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and its environs are engulfed with panic as parts of the town have been immersed in a heavy flood after continuous rainfall for over 12 hours.
Reports gathered that the rain which began at about 10pm on Sunday and fell continuously, till at about 10am on Monday, have flooded many parts of the city.
Some of the areas flooded include the Wurukum market, Otukpo road by NNPC Mega fuel station, Gboko road, parts Demekpe community, the SRS junction along University of Agriculture among other areas.
It was gathered that students and lecturers of the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, (JOSTUM), formerly Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, (FUAM), who were ready to defy the continued rain were left stranded at the early hours of Monday as they could not access the road leading to the university campus.
A student union leader at FUAM, Mimidoo Gundu, had raised an alarm on Monday morning lamenting the situation and calling on the federal and state governments to come to their aid before the situation degenerates.
She expressed that “this morning water blocked the road that links from SRS junction to Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi around Antsa and Ichwa respectively
“This has been a huge obstacle for staff and students to get to school and it is very disheartening. I urge the Federal/State Government and the school management to look into this problem before it gets worse and damages the road.
“A federal institution is located there and students need to study during weekdays not at home. A quick action should be taken as soon as possible to ensure that this problem is resolved.”
Another resident, John Mvendaga, said his house in Demekpe was flooded while his household items were all soaked.
While he recalled that it was not the first time they are experiencing flood and losing their items, Mvendaga called on the state government to rise up to its responsibility and provide the necessary amenities to prevent the perennial occurrence.
He lamented over his situation saying “We even heard that flood is coming from Cameroon.
“If we are already inside water now, what will happen when the main flood comes? He asked.