Following the discharge of water from the Oyan dam, which caused flooding in the neighborhood, several inhabitants of the Lafenwa-Abule Otun village in Ogun State's Abeokuta North local government area have evacuated their houses.

According to TalkTalk Nigeria Metro, the hamlet, which is just meters from the Ogun River, was flooded by water caused by the discharge of water from the Oyan Dam, along with excessive rain on Saturday.

Our correspondent, who visited the hamlet on Monday, noticed that five houses in the lowland were filled with water, with some houses showing signs of flooding. Some of the houses were likewise vacant, with no sign of people.

Lateefat Akinwunmi, a local, stated that since the dam's discharge and the torrential rainfall that preceded it, they have had to evacuate their homes, which have been flooded. She bemoaned that life had become tough since the things she sells had become stuck in the house, forcing her and her family to reside with a friend.

"We used to experience flooding on occasion," she explained, "but the recent opening of the dam has caused the flooding to be much worse this time." Our homes have been damaged, and we have been forced to flee. We can't sleep at home anymore because the flood has taken over our bedroom as well.

"I sell perishable goods, and some of them are trapped inside, while others have been damaged." The bag of Garri (Cassava flakes) I recently purchased for resale has been soaked in water. This deluge has caused us a lot of trouble."

Another resident, who identified simply as Mama, noted that the community hardly experiences flooding except on a few occasions when the dam is opened. She lamented that the recent flooding has displaced them from their homes and caused damage to their properties.

"We rarely experience flooding in this community except when the dam is opened," Mama explained. This one, which they just opened, had a big impact on us. As you can see, everything is inundated. Some individuals have even fled their homes, hoping to return when the flood recedes."

Kelani Bashir, the community's leader, stated that flooding began when a bridge was built over the river, necessitating the dredging of some sections of the river. He bemoaned the failure of many efforts to persuade the government to rebuild a water conduit that may assist channel the water.

"The problem of flooding began when a bridge was built over the Ogun River to ease movement, but during construction, dredging was done to pave the way for water flow, and since then, that has been the point through which our community has been flooded," Bashir explained.

"The flooding often affects most of the houses in the lowland area in this community, and we have made several appeals to the government to help us see to this situation, but it has not yielded any positive result."

He asked Governor Abiodun to assist in the reconstruction of the drainage canal between the river and the settlement in order to avert flooding caused by the river's overflow.

"If our government can assist us in raising the drainage channel between the community and the river, it will prevent water from flooding our community." "Governor Abiodun, please come to our aid," he concluded.

When contacted, Rotimi Oduniyi, Press Officer of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment, stated that inhabitants in flood-prone areas had been compelled to relocate to higher ground in order to avoid casualties, but they have refused. He stated that an evaluation team will be dispatched to the neighborhood right once to take any necessary procedures.

"There is currently a surge in the river caused by recent rainfall and the release of water from the dam." We have advised residents of the river area to relocate to higher ground in order to avert tragedies. We also established a camp where they might relocate, but the majority of these people do not heed government warnings. "The ministry will send an assessment team to the community to determine what actions are necessary," Oduniyi said.