Lagos Residents Blame Air Force Fence for Flood Damage

Some residents of Ayinke Street in Shogunle, Oshodi area of Lagos State, shared how Sunday’s flood ruined their belongings, damaged cars, and hurt businesses after part of the Air Force perimeter fence fell onto a busy road.

Our correspondent found that the fallen fence blocked water from flowing freely, causing it to flood homes and create a lot of damage. Residents are asking the state government for help with relief materials to ease their losses.

When PUNCH Metro visited on Wednesday, we saw household items like sofas, mattresses, clothes, and televisions outside homes drying after being damaged by the flood.

One damaged vehicle had a broken windscreen, while another was surrounded by piles of waste washed onto the street by the flood.

Parts of the Air Force base fence lay in ruins, with bricks, mud, and other debris scattered around.

The collapsed fence and flood debris also blocked parts of the road, forcing residents to clean up the area themselves.

A landlord named Moses blamed the flooding on what he called the blockage of a drainage channel during a cleanup.

He recalled that residents were outside even with heavy rain falling.

“At about 2 a.m., while it was raining, people were still outside. Some were even taking out refuse, and cars were still moving,” he said.

He explained that on that night, environmental sanitation was happening, clearing weeds and banana trees near the fence.

“They (Air Force) were clearing the weeds and cutting down the banana trees. There are holes under the fence where water usually flows. Those things may have ended up blocking the openings, leaving the floodwater with nowhere to go.

“By the time the water level rose, it had nowhere to drain. As a result, the fence collapsed, and the floodwater rushed into the houses. Every house was affected.”

Moses said the flood damaged homes and cars in the community.

“This is my car. The pole fell on it, and I have another one over there. Every house here suffered damage. People’s electronics and other belongings were destroyed. It wasn’t that the fence just collapsed on its own.

“They are to blame because they did not do the right thing. If they had properly removed those things and allowed the water to pass freely, this would not have happened.

“People are angry because they lost so much. The woman living upstairs also had her house and belongings destroyed. It wasn’t only those living downstairs who were affected.”

Another resident, Bukola Fagbenro, said the flood caught everyone by surprise and caused significant damage.

“The rain started like a joke, but before we knew it, floodwater had entered every house. It destroyed so many things. If you look around, you will see a vehicle that was damaged, while other vehicles have already been taken to mechanic workshops for repairs.

“The flood even carried some vehicles into the canal. It was only after the water receded that people were able to move them out.”

Fagbenro said her business suffered heavy losses when the flood swept away her goods.

“I sell garri, and I keep it on the floor inside my room. The flood washed everything away. Many of us are still trying to come to terms with what happened that morning. It was devastating.

“This has never happened before. The fence collapsed into the canal during the downpour, and that made the situation worse. Dirt and refuse from other areas were washed into the canal and blocked the channel, preventing the floodwater from flowing. Before now, once it rained, the water would pass through, and within five minutes, you wouldn’t even know it had rained. We have never experienced anything like this.”

Another resident, Chioma, said the problem got worse after the Air Force fence fell.

“The rain started normally. There was nothing unusual about it. The floodwater coming from the Air Force Base was already a lot, but everything got out of hand when the wall collapsed,” she said.

Josephine, another resident, said she was not home when the rain started but returned to find all her belongings destroyed.

“I wasn’t around when the rain started. I was in Alakuko. When someone called to tell me it was raining in our area, I said there was no rain in Alakuko. But before I got back home, I had lost everything in the house,” she lamented.