Rainstorm Wreaks Havoc In Osogbo, Residents Count Losses

– Gov Adeleke Sympathises With Victims

Residents of Osogbo and surrounding communities are counting their losses following a heavy downpour that lasted more than one hour on Saturday, causing widespread destruction across several areas of the Osun State capital.

The rainstorm, which affected communities including Ogo-Oluwa, destroyed properties worth millions of naira, leaving many residents struggling to assess the extent of the damage.

The rainfall, accompanied by strong winds, reportedly blew off roofs of several buildings, pulled down perimeter fences, and damaged electricity cables in different parts of the city.

Many of the affected structures were storey buildings, some of which suffered significant structural damage during the storm.

One of the affected residents, Nurudeen Murtala, said the roof of his house was completely blown off, exposing his property to further damage.

“The roof of my house was blown off, and many other houses were also affected. This has impacted many landlords and tenants in the area,” he said.

He added that the financial burden of repairs would be difficult to bear due to lack of funds.

“I have to look for money to repair my damaged property, but the painful thing is that I do not have the funds,” he lamented.

In a related incident, a truck driver conveying goods was trapped for about an hour after a billboard collapsed onto his vehicle during the downpour.

The incident occurred along the Gbongan–Ibadan Road around 8 p.m., when the billboard reportedly fell on the truck near a fast-food outlet in the Aregbe area.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Sola, said residents in the area had to work together to rescue the driver from the wreckage.

“It took the combined efforts of people around to rescue him. I believe only God saved his life,” he said.

No casualties were officially confirmed as of the time of filing this report, though several residents recorded significant property losses and displacement.

Reacting to the incident, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, sympathised with residents affected by the rainstorm.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor described the incident as sad and unfortunate.

“On behalf of the government and the good people of Osun State, I sympathise with the victims of the heavy rainstorm caused by the devastating downpour,” the statement read.

The governor said the government would take necessary steps through the Osun State Emergency Management Agency to address the losses suffered by victims and directed the Ministry of Works to clear affected roads to prevent further accidents and ensure free flow of traffic.

He attributed the increasing occurrence of such incidents to climate change and stressed the need for proactive environmental measures. He also urged residents to adopt preventive strategies such as tree planting and warned against indiscriminate felling of trees.