Floods leave six dead in Nigeria’s Lagos

At least six people were killed in floods in the Nigerian city of Lagos, local media reported on Wednesday.

The six victims included three men, two women and a baby, according to Punch news website.

The floods were caused by a recent release of water from the Oyan Dam in Abeokuta city of the southwestern Ogun state, the report said.

The floods led to hardships being experienced by the residents of some communities in Lagos as their houses and shops have been submerged by flood waters.

Many of the residents of the affected areas had to flee their areas, calling on government to establish drainage channels to handle floods impacts in the affected regions.

“Many communities are affected by the release of water from the dam; our situation is pathetic; most people have moved out because the water entered their houses (..) Businesses have been paralysed and schools have been shut down, the report quoted a local resident as saying.

“The Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority usually releases water from the dam every three years, but this year’s water is too much and a lot of properties have been affected,” the report quoted another resident as saying.

For its part, the Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority confirmed the water has been released from the dam as it was filled up with heavy downpours. The authority said it had been exploring measures to address the current situation.