Flooding caused by Sunday night rainfall has drowned a young man, simply identified as Chukwudi, in his apartment, located by the edge of a narrow drainage between Nkpokiti and Presidential Road, in Ogui Township, Enugu.

The deceased, who reportedly had performed traditional rites and was preparing for a wedding with his fiancé, was said to be putting up in one of the underground rooms sandwiched under a block of flats constructed in obstruction to a channel, through which waters passes down from the Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, and environs, collate and empties into Asata River.

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According to an eyewitness and a co-tenant in the compound, Mrs Nkechi Eze, the flood from the blocked drainage into their compound had been persistent for over six years which, on Monday, last week, wreaked havoc in the same compound, with no life lost, but which made some of the basement occupants to pack out from the apartment.

"Then, yesterday, though the girl and boy don’t sleep there anymore, only came to check their property. Then the rain started. The flood came, and he was the one that came out telling people that the flood has come again. His fiancé and every other person came out, but he said he wanted to bring out his property.

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“He went in and didn’t come out again. A deaf and dumb girl that occupied one of the apartments almost drowned, but was rescued by those who went to help.

“The police came around 12am., and started scooping the water out from the basement. A water draining machine was also brought and they worked from 12 to 5 this morning. All of us were outside, nobody slept, waiting to see that boy and, at 5 am., his lifeless body was seen and the police came and took it away. The DPO said that even an animal cannot live here, let alone a human being.”

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