A heavy flood on Friday swept away the Director of Finance, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Mr Tony Okecheme who was on his way to the Nna
A heavy flood on Friday swept away the Director of Finance, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Mr Tony Okecheme who was on his way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in his official 2017 Toyota Camry.
His vehicle which was following a Toyota Highlander SUV that successfully navigated the flooded road, got stalled in the flood water at Galadimawa Roundabout, Abuja. His vehicle reportedly lost power and his attempts to restart the engine failed. He and his driver were said to have climbed on the car roof as the level of the water increased.
They reportedly spent a long time shouting for help but no one came to their assistance until Okecheme was swept away by the raging flood while his driver, whose name had yet to be ascertained, was rescued by some boys in the area. Two young girls who claimed to be Okecheme’s children were seen weeping uncontrollably at the scene of the incident.
The car which was filled with mud water was, however, pulled out by some people, who were angry over the alleged failure of the FCT Emergency Management Agency officials to rescue the victims in time. The safety officers leaving the scene with an inflatable boat.
An eyewitness, Oyewole Adedigba, alleged that FEMA officials did not do enough to rescue the victims, adding that they were so nonchalant about the situation. He said, “I was driving by when I saw the man and his driver standing on the roof of their car in the middle of the flood, so I parked. I looked around to see if there was anyone that could help in rescuing them but no one was willing to go into the water. After about five minutes, the water rose to the chest level of the men. Then huge waves came and swept one of the men (the director) away while some boys managed to rescue the driver. The FEMA agents were on the ground, but they were just standing around doing nothing.”
Family members of the missing finance director were seen engaging the local divers to search for Okecheme’s body in the muddy canal in the area. The body had not been found as of the time of filing this report. The FEMA Director, Idris Abbas, claimed that his men carried out the rescue efforts.
