NIGERIA: Floods displace thousands in Nigerian city

Flash floods sweeping Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, have forced thousands of families from their homes. Flash floods sweeping through parts of Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, have forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. The flooding in the Ikorodu district of Lagos follows days of heavy rain, which caused a nearby river to oveflow its banks. Residents said six people were missing and it's feared they might have been swept away by the floods. The raving waters have also damaged many buildings, several motor cars and house hold property. On Sunday (August 5), some locals moved around in the neighbourhood using canoes while others rolled up their trousers and waded. Scores of people have taken refuge in an emergency camp set up by the government in a primary school. But thirty-seven-year-old Stephen Amaefule says he isn't leaving his house because he fears it might be broken into and his properly stolen. He sent away his four children and wife to safety. "I can not just leave my house. Some of the people left and the bad boys took the opportunity to break into their houses," Amaefule said. Several roads have been cut off, making it difficult to access parts of the sprawling district. Nineteen-year-old Edurance Kegbe had to give birth on a bed raised using bricks and sticks above the flood water, since no ambulance could reach her home. Lagos lies on the coast and much of it is situated below sea-level, making it prone to flooding. Authorities have spent large amounts of money on flood defences with little success.

ITN Source | August 6, 2007

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