A heavy rainstorm on Wednesday night destroyed parts of the Jos South Local Government Secretariat in Plateau State and left several homes damaged in Bukuru community.
The Chairman of Jos South LGA, Silas Patrick Dung, confirmed the incident while speaking to reporters in Jos.
“The storm was powerful, uprooting the entire four columns holding the Secretariat gatehouse and destroying some homes in the community,” Dung said.
He explained that the damage showed the strength of the storm. “For the storm to destroy the Council Secretariat gate built with a 25mm rod shows it was such a powerful rainstorm,” he added.
Dung said he visited the affected areas with officials of the National Emergency Management Agency to assess the level of destruction. According to him, six houses were completely destroyed, several others had their roofs blown off, and some fences were brought down.
“We are still going around the community and waiting to hear from other locations if the extent of the damage is more than what we can assess now,” he said.
Calling the incident a natural disaster, Dung noted there was little anyone could have done to stop it.
He also said efforts are ongoing to manage the situation and prevent more risks. “We are trying to pull down the structure to avert further risk that the vandalised part will cause to the people,” the chairman added.
