Rainstorm wreaks havoc in Ogun, plunges 40 communities into darkness

No fewer than 40 communities in Ogun State have been plunged into darkness following the raging rainstorm which wreaked havoc on Sunday in the Sango-Ota area of the state.

The affected communities are located in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.

New Telegraph had reported that a downpour which lasted for about two hours on Sunday wreaked havoc on some parts of the state, destroying properties.

The storm pulled down electric poles and cables, disrupting traffic on the Sango-Ota highway on Sunday afternoon.

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), confirmed the incident, appealing to residents to avoid contact with the broken poles and cables.

In a public notice, the IBEDC said: “Due to broken poles occasioned by the heavy downpour at Ota and Mowe, customers in the following communities: lyana lyesi, Osuke Town, Egan Road, lyana Ilogbo, Ijaba, Ijagba, Itele, Lafenwa, Singer, Joju, Alishiba, Oju Ore, Tollgate, Eledi, Akeja, Abebi, Osi Round About, Ota Town, Ota Industrial Estate, Igberen, lju, Atan, Onipanu, Obasanjo, Lusada, Arigba, Odugbe, Ado-Odo, Igbesa, Owode. Olokuta, Hanushi, Bamtish Camp Lufiwape, Eltees Farm, August Engineering, Spark Cear Soap Ayetoro, Amazing Grace Oil, Christopher University, Royal Garden Estate, Pentagon Estate and environs are experiencing power outage.”

The DisCo urged residents not to tamper with the electrical installations in an attempt to have them repaired, saying its technical team was working to clear and replace the affected poles and cables.

“Kindly avoid contact with the broken poles, saggy wires or any other electrical installation affected by the rain. Report any incident and do not attempt to repair or tamper with electrical installations.

“Our technical team is working to clear and replace the broken poles and installations to ensure power supply is restored as soon as possible.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,” the IBEDC stated.

Meanwhile, in a video sighted by our correspondent, the utility poles fell on vehicles, including a long school bus, cars, trucks and a tricycle, trapping them down.

Residents of the area expressed concerns that they would have to endure power outages for over a week to have the poles and cables fixed.