Crime & Security

Environment Alert: Ogun Govt Orders Magboro, Alagbole, River-bank Residents to Relocate as Flood Peak Looms.

Abeokuta — The Ogun State Government on Tuesday issued a mandatory relocation order to residents of Magboro, Alagbole and 14 river-bank communities along the Ogun River, warning that a “dangerous flood peak” is expected between this weekend and the first week of July.

Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, who addressed reporters after an emergency meeting of the State Emergency Management Council, said water levels at the Oyan Dam gauging station rose to 48.2 metres on Monday — just 30 cm shy of the 48.5 m critical mark that triggers controlled spillage.

“With the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon already releasing 500 m³/s and more heavy rains forecast by NiMet, we have no choice but to open the Oyan flood gates pre-emptively to avoid a collapse,” Oresanya explained. “Communities downstream must move now.”

Affected Areas

The order covers:

- Magboro (Ifo LGA) – 4,800 houses within 200 m of the river channel
- Alagbole-Akute – 2,100 structures, including several multi-storey buildings under construction
- Arepo, Kakanfo, Arigbawonwo, Iro, Mawun, Ijako, Sona, Matogun, Orimerunmu, Pakoto, Ijagba, Oke-Afa, Ajibawo and Abule-Oba

Residents have until 6 p.m. on Friday to relocate to one of five government-activated emergency shelters:

1. Islamic Primary School, Magboro (capacity 3,000)
2. AUD Grammar School Hall, Akute (2,500)
3. St. Michael’s Catholic Hall, Arepo (2,000)
4. Ifo Community High School (3,500)
5. Ogun-State Stadium Complex, Abeokuta (temporary holding for livestock and large households)

Shelter Package

Oresanya listed items already delivered: 6,000 mattresses, 7,200 mosquito nets, 100 mobile toilets, 150 metric tonnes of rice, 5,000 crates of bottled water and 40 mobile water tanks. The Ministry of Health has stationed 20 rapid-response teams to guard against cholera and COVID-19 outbreaks.

Enforcement

The Ogun State Police Command says it will begin “gentle but firm” evacuation at noon on Saturday. Commissioner Abiodun Alamutu warned landlords against locking gates to prevent tenants from moving. “Any obstruction will be treated as a threat to life,” he said.

Real-time Updates

Residents can dial 112 or send “FLOOD” to 32102 to receive shelter locations and bus pick-up times. A drone surveillance unit will broadcast water-level readings every six hours on OGTV and the ministry’s Twitter handle @OGEnvironment.

Financial Impact

The government estimates that property worth ₦28 billion lies in the 5-metre floodplain. Last year, flooding along the same corridor destroyed 650 houses and displaced 12,000 people.

Climate Link

Oresanya blamed “unpredictable rain patterns and poor upstream flood management” for the recurring crisis. He renewed calls for the completion of the long-proposed Ogun River Channelisation Project, budgeted at ₦48 billion since 2014 but still at design stage.

Community Reaction

Mrs. Bola Sangotoye, a food vendor in Magboro, said she welcomed the alert but feared for her six freezers. “Where do I keep them in a classroom?” she asked.

Mr. Dele Onabolu, chairman of the Magboro Community Development Association, urged the state to provide “safe storage centres for generators and deep freezers — otherwise people will sneak back and drown.”

Federal Support

Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, who attended the briefing, promised 3,000 family relief kits and 60 additional tents within 48 hours.

Way Forward

Oresanya appealed to residents not to treat the order as “the usual advisory.” “This is not a rehearsal. Once the spillways open, water velocity here can knock down a bungalow. Please pack your credentials, medications and move early,” he warned.

The relocation order takes effect immediately. Schools in the five shelter LGAs have been asked to close by Thursday to create space, while the National Youth Service Corps has suspended weekly community development meetings until 15 July.

For now, the race against the rains has begun — and Ogun is betting on early compliance to save lives.

This has been The Red Hot Report from Pepper-Room. The news that bears it all.