Osogbo residents cry out as flood overtakes homes

Residents of Osogbo have raised the alarm as rising waters from the Osun River flood their homes and communities.

DAILY POST gathered that the most affected areas in the capital city included Oke-Jetu, Baruwa, some parts of Awosuru, and communities located along the banks of the Osun River.

Affected residents, who spoke with DAILY POST on Wednesday, expressed frustration and sadness over the development.

Many of them lamented that they had to abandon their work and businesses in order to salvage their properties.

Also, residents were observed in the areas visited packing their belongings as the floodwaters continued to rise.

A resident, popularly known as Iya Ify, disclosed that the water started entering their house around midnight and that she had not slept since then.

“I am tired. We started packing out our things around midnight when we noticed the water leaking into our apartment. I could not cry. My husband and I have been packing out our things.

“We had to take our children somewhere they could stay for the meantime,” she said.

Another resident, Adelaju Folarin, expressed surprise that the water had risen to that level.

He added that since he moved into the apartment more than a decade ago, flooding had not occurred there.

“As you can see, I am surprised and do not know what to say. I have not experienced such before in more than a decade of occupying this apartment.

“There was also a big flood in 2019, but it was not like this. The elevation of this place is high, which is why I considered it safe. For the flood to get here means the water volume was much higher,” he said.

The flooding comes amid continuing concerns over changing rainfall patterns and the impact of global warming on extreme rainfall.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reported that heavy precipitation is projected to become more intense with additional global warming, increasing exposure to flooding in many parts of Africa.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has also continued to issue rainfall and flood-related forecasts and warnings.

Its 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction projected normal to above-normal rainfall in parts of Nigeria, while the agency has issued heavy-rainfall and flash-flood risk information during the current rainy season.

The rising Osun River has brought back memories of previous flooding incidents in Osogbo and other parts of the state.