Flood Submerges Homes, Destroys Property Worth Millions in Akwa Ibom Communities

Hundreds of residents of Eket Local Government Area have been left stranded and counting losses after torrential rainfall triggered severe flooding, submerging homes, destroying property worth millions of naira, collapsing buildings, and forcing families to flee for safety, with many worshippers also prevented from attending Sunday services.

AKWA IBOM, Nigeria – A devastating flood has ravaged Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, submerging homes, destroying property worth millions of naira, and leaving hundreds of residents stranded following three days of torrential rainfall. The heavy downpour, which began on Saturday night and continued into Sunday, overwhelmed drainage systems across the oil-producing city, turning residential areas into virtual rivers and forcing many families to flee for safety. The Southern Examiner newspaper reported that the flooding destroyed properties worth hundreds of millions of naira, swept away vehicles, collapsed houses, and rendered thousands of residents homeless. Several roads and streets were cut off, while residents of affected communities were forced to seek refuge in safer locations as floodwaters overwhelmed homes, business premises and other facilities. Along Afaha-Eket Road, residents were still busy bailing out water from their houses and trying to rescue badly soaked clothing on Sunday morning.

Mrs Elizabeth Akpan, a housewife residing on Mkpok Lane, expressed distress after floodwater submerged her home and destroyed her belongings. The disaster occurred after rainfall lasting more than four hours from Saturday night into Sunday, destroying her electronics, kitchen utensils and other household items. “Flood has destroyed my property worth millions of naira due to the heavy downpour that started yesterday and today,” she cried. Akpan appealed to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently come to her rescue. “Flood has taken over my entire building. I need help from the relevant emergency agencies before the situation becomes worse,” she said. Another resident, Mrs Mfonobong Bassey of Edem Udoh Street, said floodwater soaked her beddings and destroyed electronics in her sitting room. “My children and I have been scooping water from our rooms, kitchen, toilet and bathroom since 4 a.m. Flood has submerged my house and soaked the sitting room. God, come and save me and my children from this calamity,” she cried.

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The flooding has caused widespread destruction, with reports confirming that some buildings collapsed during the disaster. Unlike the flood disasters of May 2025, communities completely ravaged by this latest menace include Afaha-Eket, Uqua, Ikot Udoma, Idua, and Afaha Uqua. Mr Paul Idongesit, a resident of Idua Road, said the flood collapsed his building and destroyed his late wife’s grave. The Southern Examiner also reported that a 70-year-old widow, Mary Monday Peter, narrowly escaped death when floodwaters overwhelmed her home in Ikot Usoekong, Eket LGA—she fled the building just before it gave way, leaving her homeless and without any opportunity to salvage her belongings. Several roads and streets were cut off, while residents of some affected communities were forced to seek refuge in safer locations as floodwaters overwhelmed homes, business premises and other facilities. The two-day downpour also prevented hundreds of worshippers from attending their church services on Sunday.

Areas affected include Ediam Road, Edohoeket Street, Idua Road, Afaha Eket Road, All Weather Road, Ikot Udoma, Mkpok Lane, and Eket-Oron Road. Other communities severely affected include Uqua and Afaha Uqua. The flooding submerged roads, destroyed farmlands, and left several families displaced. Mr Promise Friday, a businessman, said floodwater destroyed more than 80 bags of POP materials and cement purchased for his building project, along with other belongings in his apartment, leaving him with significant financial losses. The flooding also reportedly swept away vehicles and destroyed household items and other property worth millions of naira across the neighbourhood.

Affected residents have appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government, NEMA, SEMA, and other relevant authorities to intervene urgently. Mr Paul Idongesit urged the state government to construct larger drainage channels and culverts to reduce flooding and its impacts, while also appealing to the World Bank and other development partners for assistance. The Ekid Development Forum (EDF) attributed the severity of the flooding partly to poor waste management, indiscriminate refuse disposal, defective drainage systems, poor execution of some road projects, and alleged government negligence in environmental management. EDF Vice-President, Mkpisong Francis Odoro, identified indiscriminate waste disposal, poor workmanship by some road contractors, and inadequate government intervention as major factors contributing to the recurring flooding in Eket. “There is no tangible comprehensive waste disposal system in Eket Local Government. Residents dispose of waste randomly and carelessly because no government policy and legislation effectively controls waste management,” Odoro said. He also criticised what he described as poor workmanship by some indigenous contractors executing road projects in the area.

The Chairman of Eket Local Government Area, Mr Akaninyene Tommy, accompanied by officials of NEMA, inspected the affected areas to assess the extent of the damage. Tommy described the flooding as devastating and heartbreaking. “The flood is deeply distressing. Homes have been ravaged, properties damaged, and families left to bear the painful consequences,” Tommy said. He said the council visited affected areas to see the situation firsthand, listen to residents, and assess the extent of the damage. “What we witnessed was heartbreaking, and we recognise the urgency of the situation,” the chairman said. Tommy said the council was engaging NEMA and SEMA, while detailed assessments of affected areas were being compiled for submission to relevant authorities to facilitate timely intervention and support for affected families. He assured affected residents of government palliatives to cushion the immediate impact of the disaster. “We will continue to stand firmly with our people and do everything within our capacity to ensure no affected family is left behind,” Tommy said. He also appreciated individuals who had offered support, comfort and solidarity to residents affected by the flooding, adding that every gesture of kindness and solidarity matters and none will go unnoticed.

The flooding in Eket comes after the Federal Ministry of Environment placed Eket, Uyo and Oron among communities on critical flood alert between August 2 and August 15, 2026. The government had warned that 944 communities across 21 states could experience severe flooding triggered by a combination of persistent rainfall, rising river levels, saturated soils, rapid surface runoff and overwhelmed drainage systems. Eket recorded a flood-risk score of 90 to 100 out of 100 in the assessment, placing it in the critical risk category.

Midnight Inferno Devastates Oranyan Market: 300 Shops, Billions Lost in Ibadan Fire Disaster

A devastating midnight fire has swept through Oranyan Market in Ibadan, destroying an estimated 300 shops and reducing millions of naira worth of goods—including gold, furniture, and second-hand clothing—to ashes in the latest of a series of market disasters to hit Oyo State.

IBADAN, Nigeria – A fierce fire outbreak has gutted the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, destroying approximately 300 shops and leaving hundreds of traders in despair as they count their losses. The blaze, which erupted around midnight on Sunday, August 23, 2026, quickly spread through the densely packed market, consuming businesses that included jewellery shops, furniture outlets, second-hand clothing stores, and other commercial enterprises. Witnesses described scenes of panic as traders rushed to salvage what they could from the raging inferno, but the speed and intensity of the flames left little room for recovery.

According to eyewitness accounts, the fire began in the middle of the market with a loud explosion before spreading rapidly to adjacent shops. A trader who identified herself as Iya Alia told reporters that the fire started around midnight and that those affected included gold sellers, furniture shops, second-hand clothes shops, and many others, with the number of affected shops almost reaching 300. Another eyewitness, who requested anonymity, described the incident as devastating, stating that the destruction was huge and that close to 300 shops were destroyed, adding that he did not even know how to explain the magnitude of the loss.

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Confirming the incident on Monday morning, Morof Akinwande, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, stated that firefighters were able to bring the situation under control by 1 a.m. Akinwande confirmed that the fire occurred and started in the middle of the market with an explosion, whether from gas or other sources, and noted that once a gas explosion occurs, it tends to spread quickly. However, he cautioned that the exact number of shops destroyed and the full value of goods lost cannot yet be confirmed, as these figures will be determined through a post-fire investigation and inventory assessment, making it too early to provide an accurate count.

This latest disaster is part of a worrying trend of market fire outbreaks in Ibadan. In 2024, a similar fire incident at the herbal section of the same Oranyan Market destroyed over 200 shops, leaving many traders bankrupt and struggling to rebuild their livelihoods. Just days before this incident, on Saturday, August 22, 2026, another fire outbreak razed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex along the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area, where one trader reported losing goods worth approximately 21 million naira, further underscoring the recurring nature of these commercial disasters.

For many affected traders, the fire represents a total loss of livelihood. Gold dealers, who typically keep high-value inventory in their shops, are believed to have suffered some of the heaviest losses, while furniture makers and second-hand clothing sellers also saw their entire stock consumed by the flames. As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether the explosion that triggered the blaze was caused by a gas cylinder, electrical fault, or other factors, with findings expected to guide future preventive measures.

The recurring nature of these market fires has reignited calls for improved fire safety measures in Ibadan’s commercial districts. Traders and community leaders are urging the Oyo State Government to conduct safety audits of major markets, enforce building codes, and provide better firefighting equipment and emergency response systems to prevent future tragedies, as the emotional and financial toll on affected traders continues to mount.