By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja
The rainfall started around 7am on Thursday 17th August, 2017 and lasted till about 10am the same day. But the flash flooding that submerged a bridge along the road and the vehicle carrying three members of her family as they were passing through caught her unawares.

Ijeoma Nwaogu, a trader is the bereaved widow whose husband, Kenneth Nwaogu and two children perished in the tragedy which saw the family’s Toyota Highlander SUV carried off by a raging flood in Lokogoma district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Residents of Ado in Karu Local Government, Nasarawa State counting their losses after Monday night flood killed many residents and damaged several houses, other property

The distraught middle aged woman, who is yet to recover from the shock of losing the family’s main bread winner, had a few minutes before the tragic incident bid her husband goodbye as he left home for work that morning.

Ijeoma told Vanguard, at home family home, that when she prepared breakfast and helped her husband and children get ready for work and summer lessons, it never occurred to her that she would become a widow in a matter of minutes.

Recounting her last experience with her deceased family members, Ijeoma a nursing mother, said: “after eating breakfast that day, my little boy who was involved in the tragic incident was reluctant to follow my husband; he lay down on his bed; so, I told him to go and help his sister get ready for their summer lessons; he said ‘Ok’ and
obediently stood up and picked up his bag.

“As he was about to put on his shoes, I asked him for the one he wore the previous day. He told me he left it in my shop. Then, I asked him to wear slippers so that when he gets to the shop, he will wear the one he left there, because it makes him appear smarter.

“However, as my husband drove out of the compound to set out on that road where he died, he hooted his car hone repeatedly as if to call out on someone to attend to him, I peeped from the window to find out what was wrong and he simply told me ‘Lock the gate’ and drove off. Unknown to me, those were the last words I would hear from him”

Ijeoma further said that she got the news of the tragic death of her husband and children in the flash flood through some neighbours who thronged her family residence with gloomy faces. She said: “I was just lying down on a sofa when my domestic help and tapped me and said ‘Mummy, some people are looking for you at the gate.’

“I thought to myself ‘we have paid our dues for this month why are they looking for me?’. When I got there, I saw some gloomy faces. That was when they broke the news that my husband was involved in a flood accident. They also told me that so far they were able to get only the remains of my husband and one of my kids. At that point, I fell down
and started shouting that my world has collapsed.”

Other family members that spoke to Vanguard include Egoise Future, the younger brother to the late Kenneth, and one of the surviving sons of the deceased, Prosper Kenneth.

“We regret the tragic incident. Our brother should have had some patience till the rains subsided,” Mr Future said regretfully.

On his part, Prosper said in an emotion-laden tone: “I am still thinking it is a dream. I can’t believe Thursday would be the last day; I will set eyes on my only sister. I miss my father, sister and brother so much.”

Some residents of Lokogoma district blamed the absence of infrastructure such as good road networks, drainage systems and quality bridges for the heavy flash flooding and large scale erosion in the area during the rainy seasons.

They also called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to enforce regulations on the provision of basic infrastructures before springing up structures.

A resident of the area, Shehu Bagudu, told Vanguard that “before allocating lands to estate developers, FCTA should consider the water ways. Most of the natural water ways have been hampered. Anytime there is a heavy rainfall, most of the houses and roads are affected. It was because the bridge was submerged and the deceased couldn’t figure out
exactly where it crossed the gully that they drowned.”

Another resident, Godswill Oche, said: “The government should do the roads that need to do be done in the area. Estate developers and residents as well need to consider the provision of basic infrastructures before erecting structures. To be sincere if the government fails in its responsibilities, the residents shouldn’t fail themselves. The residents should have contributed money to fix some of these infrastructures for themselves.”

The late Kenneth Nwaogu, 49, who worked with a multinational oil company, hails from Rivers state while his deceased daughter and son were aged 15 and 11 respectively