A heavy downpour lasting more than nine hours has submerged several houses and disrupted movement in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The rainfall, which began overnight and continued into Monday evening, affected several parts of the city, leaving homes and business premises flooded and commuters stranded.
Areas affected include Achussa, New GRA, behind Radio Benue, Nyiman, Idye, Naka Road, North Bank, Ankpa Quarters, Tilley Gyado-Terwase Agbadu, Wurukum and Wadata.
Residents of some of the affected communities said the floodwaters entered their homes and destroyed household items and foodstuff.
Several commuters were also forced to abandon their journeys as floodwaters took over roads and streets across parts of the city.
Our correspondent, who monitored the situation, observed that buildings and business premises around ongoing construction sites and areas close to riverbanks were particularly affected by the flooding.
A resident, Frank Tion, attributed the situation partly to blocked drainage channels resulting from ongoing road construction works.
Tion called on the state government to direct contractors handling road projects to immediately open blocked drainage channels to allow rainwater to flow freely.
He said the indiscriminate closure of roads and drainage channels by construction companies had contributed to the flooding experienced in some parts of the city.
Another resident, Theresa Andyson, said the situation could have been worse if not for some of the large drainage systems already constructed by the state government.
Andyson, however, noted that the various construction activities ongoing across Makurdi might also have contributed to the flooding, particularly in areas where drainage channels had been blocked to facilitate construction work.
Meanwhile, the Information Officer of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Terna Ager, confirmed that the agency had received reports of flooding in Achussa.
Ager, however, said the agency had yet to visit the affected area to assess the extent of the damage.
