Fifteen houses and several farmlands were reportedly destroyed by a rainstorm that wreaked havoc in the Iyah Gbedde community in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi.

The incident occurred between Tuesday and Thursday and left the community Town Hall in ruins.

Emmanuel Jeminiwa, the national president of the Iyah Gbede Development Association (IDA), who spoke to journalists, described the incident as devastating and unfortunate.

Mr Jeminiwa, who could not provide figures of people and houses affected, explained that many families have been rendered homeless and helpless because of the destruction by the thunderstorm.

“What’s more worrisome is our food crops, such as yams, cassava and maise have been washed away by torrential rain that left us with no option.

“You know that Iyah Gbede is an agrarian community, hence the devastation on our crops. The disaster also affected our community township roads and rendered them impassable,” he lamented.

He added that farmers who wanted to go and get some remnants from the affected farms could not go because the bridge along their farms had been destroyed too.

The president, however, called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), corporate organisations and spirited individuals to rescue the community.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofeye, said the government was aware of the incident.

He said adequate preparations were being made to ascertain the damage level and see how victims could be assisted as expected.

The commissioner warned residents of the state to be vigilant and not to live around flood-prone areas.

(NAN)