A heavy downpour on Friday evening resulted in the tragic loss of a 31-year-old motorcyclist, identified as Yakubu Lucky, in Dogon Gada, Lokogoma District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency confirmed this unfortunate incident in a statement released on Saturday.
According to FEMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Nkechi Isa, the deceased defied warnings and drove into a pool of water, which led to his drowning. Mrs. Isa mentioned that local divers stationed in the area by FEMA had warned him, but he disregarded their advice.
In addition, the statement indicated that the deceased bypassed the barricade placed by FEMA to prevent residents from attempting to cross the flooded area.
Following the incident, FEMA’s Search and Rescue Team, under the leadership of Mrs. Florence Wenegieme, the Director of Forecasting Response and Mitigation, recovered the body of Yakubu Lucky on Saturday.
The body was taken to the Asokoro District Hospital, where a doctor officially confirmed his passing.
The statement disclosed that “The family of the deceased who hailed from Zango Kataf, Kaduna State, has since taken his body away for burial.”
In response to this tragic event, the acting Director-General of FEMA, Mr. Mohammed Sabo, appealed to residents to always heed the agency’s warnings.
He emphasized that FEMA consistently places barricades in the Dogon Gada area during heavy downpours and urged residents not to attempt crossing flooded areas. Instead, he advised them to wait for the water to recede or find an alternative route.
Mr. Sabo expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased and encouraged residents to utilize the 112 emergency toll-free number in case of disasters or emergencies.
