Flood Disaster Hits Abuja: 74 Vehicles Submerged as Several Areas Ravaged

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

The aftermath of the severe weekend flood in Gudu, Abuja, remains grim as vehicle owners work to clean and retrieve their damaged cars from the Delight Event Centre.

The flood, which struck unexpectedly during a wedding ceremony and submerged over 74 cars, was caught in viral videos that sparked widespread concern.

Now, as towing trucks clear the flooded venue, impacted residents and victims are pressing the government for immediate action to prevent future disasters.

When a PersecondNews team arrived at the event center on Monday, flood-hit victims were still picking up the pieces.

 Among them was Hubiya Japheth, an uncle of the bride, who recounted how quickly the celebration turned chaotic.

According to Japheth, the deluge started mid-event as guests were arriving, trapping many outside as the water rapidly swept through the premises.

 Notably, the flooding began just as Hajia Nana Shettima, wife of the Vice President, entered the hall, compelling organizers to immediately notify the MC.

“Before people could even think, less than 40 seconds to 50 seconds, the whole place was submerged. The cars that you could see their tyres, in less than 40 minutes, you could not see the cars again,” he told Persecondnews.

“The canal serving the area was also completely flooded, while more than 74 vehicles were submerged, forcing owners and others at the venue to spend the night trying to move their cars.

“Up till now, people are still coming here, trying to recover their vehicles,” he said.

Japheth revealed that one abandoned vehicle was still at the venue after its frustrated owner apparently walked away, adding that efforts were underway to contact the owner and provide assistance.

He urged relevant authorities to conduct thorough drainage assessments during road construction projects to ensure channels can handle heavy water flow during torrential rains.

“In the process of doing the road, they should do more assessment and check their waterways. You can’t do a road, open a canal, then at the end of it, you don’t check where that road is going, where that water is going,” he said.

Fuda Japheth, who was attending his niece’s wedding at the venue, said the torrential downpour overwhelmed the drainage system almost instantly, giving guests virtually no time to move their cars to safety.

“By the time the gutter was full, it now overflowed. It entered this side within one minute. Nobody could run or even try to remove his vehicle again, and that was how it happened. You can’t even enter that place again,” Fuda said.

He explained that the force of the water was strong enough to move some vehicles, while a retaining wall helped prevent the floodwater from carrying away more cars.

     
“The water was coming with force, and it could carry anything. Even some of the vehicles moved. It was that retaining wall that stopped some of the vehicles from moving; if not, it would have carried all of these vehicles.”

Fuda attributed the flooding to the volume of water flowing from surrounding areas, particularly following the completion of Apo road.

The Gudu incident is among several areas affected by the downpour, with videos also showing flooding in Guzape, Utako, Durumi, Lokogoma and parts of Lugbe.