No fewer than three people died at the weekend in Kwara State after heavy rainfall in Ilorin, the capital city.

One person reportedly died during the heavy rains while two people were swept away by floods at Taiwo Isale and Oko-Erin bridges in the metropolis.

“We worked all through the night to rise up to the occasion. Up till now, we have not found the two persons that were carried away at both Taiwo Isale and Oko-Erin bridges.

“The rains occasioned the death of one person at Ita Ogunbo area of inner Ilorin,” The Nation quoted a source as saying.

The torrential rain was said to have destroyed scores of houses and property in the metropolis.

The rains started around 7pm and stopped in the wee hours of Sunday.

Areas worst affected by the rains include Olonkonla, Bobonkiri, Egba-Akota, Aberi, Akuji, Idiope and others all in Ita-Ogunbo area, Alanamu ward of Ilorin West local government area of the state, it was gathered.

The rainstorms also destroyed electricity poles in Taiwo and Odota areas all in the metropolis.

Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq commiserated with families whose dwellings were affected in Saturday night’s heavy rainstorm in different parts of the state.

In a statement, his spokesperson Rafiu Ajakaye said:

“The governor is saddened by the havoc wreaked on various households in Ilorin, the state capital, and indeed elsewhere across the state by the heavy rainstorm. He sends his heartfelt commiseration and a message of hope to such families in this trying time.

“As part of his proactive measures to mitigate the effect of this natural disaster which had been predicted by the NIMET, the governor had last week visited various Federal Government agencies including the NEMA to seek special relief for Kwara. The state government is again urging the Federal Government to urgently consider Kwara state for special support.

“The governor, for his part, is immediately setting up a special disaster response team to collate data of areas affected and determine how the state government can offer support based on available resources. That response team will be announced shortly.

“The governor is also aware of the damage to electric poles during the storm. He has directed relevant agencies to quickly fix the poles as soon as possible to avoid further damage and ensure the restoration of power services.”