Search and Rescue team from FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, have identified the man who drowned himself in flood after paying deaf hears to eyewitness’ warning, shortly after a heavy downpour on Wednesday, August 26, in Abuja.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that the body of the man identified as Mr. Garba Joseph was recovered by the FCT rescue team two days after intensive search around communities where the incident happened.
The 43 year old man who hailed from Akoka-Edo of Edo State was swept off after a river was flooded around TradeMoore Estate, Lugbe, in Abuja.
Prior to FEMA’s rescue operation, a viral video had captured the moment a man reported to be Mr. Garba was swept away. See video below;
According to the caption of the viral video on some social media pages, eyewitnesses claimed that he was drunk and they had warned him not to go out in the flood but he didn’t listen.
Confirming the caption of the viral video, one of FEMA’s volunteer Kenneth Chima, while narrating the incident, reiterated an eyewitness account on the incident.
“They were four men that tried walking through the water and I kept warning them to go back, three of them went back but only this man insisted on crossing, unfortunately the water overpowered him and washed him away” he said.
The tragic incident happened a day after Director-General of NIHSA, Clement Nze warned that heavy flood may hit the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers state, Bayelsa and others beginning from September.
The Director General FCT FEMA, Alh. Idriss Abbas has also warned FCT residents to avoid flooded areas to avert the dangers of falling victims of flood.