Traders at the Popular Sasa Market, Oke-Baale area, Osogbo were counting their losses after a downpour on Tuesday resulted to flood that killed livestock and destroy goods worth millions of naira.
The flood, according to the traders at the market, killed a cow, 12 rams and destroyed foodstuffs and electronic materials.
The cow and rams were suffocated by the flood which ravaged the area, said the traders who were angrily speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday.
Claiming that the livestock market has always been witnessing flood, the victims attributed the incident to the tiny tunnel under the Sasa River bridge.
They said the flood has been affecting the market for a long time without government intervention.
A butcher at the market, Mr. Ademola Lawal who lost his cow and rams to the flood said the loss was huge for him to bear.
He said: “I was at home when the rain started and I never knew it was something that will affect me to this extent. I got a call around 8:30pm from a trader at the market who asked me to come around and rescue my cows and rams.
“When I got to the market, my two cows and 15 rams were already inside the flood. I enter the flood to see if I could safe them. With the help of some Hausa men, I was able to safe a cow and 3 rams while the others died.
“The cause of this problem is the tunnel under the bridge in this area. The tunnel is tiny and whenever there is downpour like that of yesterday, the flood always divert to the market”.
A foodstuff and provision seller at the market, Mrs. Abigail Iwaloye, said the rainstorm destroyed everything in her shop, which she was running on loan.
Iwaloye who was close to tears while speaking said it would take the grace of God for her to recover from the loss she suffered.
She said: “The heavy downpour has destroyed almost everything in my shop. I don’t know where I am going to start from now.
“Most of the goods inside the shop were bought from the loan I got from a microfinance bank. I am in serious debt now. Only God can safe me from this”.
An electronic materials seller at the market, Mr. Michael Oladosu while counting his loss, appealed to the State Government to come to the aid of the affected traders.
He said: “All I can say for now is to beg the Governor of the State to come to our rescue. We have lost goods worth millions of naira to this rainstorm and we don’t even know where to start from.
“I also want to beg the government to find a lasting solution to the flood problem in this area in order to prevent future occurrence.”
Other victims who could not bear their losses just kept lamenting and weeping while begging the state government for assistance.
