Heavy rainfall battered Lagos for over 12 hours yesterday, drowning streets and homes across the sprawling metropolis. The deluge halted traffic, shuttered businesses and forced thousands of residents to stay indoors.
Motorists got stuck on flooded expressways while commuters waded through knee-deep water trying to reach work and school. Parents kept their children home, fearing the risks posed by the torrential downpour and rising floodwaters.
The Lagos-Oshodi Expressway, Abeokuta Expressway, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Victoria Island, Agege, Ikeja and Oworonsoki all went under water. Gbagada, Funsho Williams Avenue and the Iwaya area of Yaba also suffered severe flooding, as did coastal zones across Lagos Mainland Local Government Area.
Videos circulating on social media captured residents and drivers trapped in murky floodwaters, pleading with the state government to act. Many took to the internet to mock authorities over their failure to solve the state's persistent flooding crisis.
By 11 am yesterday, the bridge connecting Ojota to Maryland along Ikorodu Road had vanished under flood, leaving vehicles stranded. Lekki and Oshodi saw buildings submerged and cars floating helplessly in stormwater.
Business owners locked up their shops and offices as the waters rose. Bus terminals emptied as commuters hunted for shelter under any available structure.
The rain finally eased around 2 pm, but it left gridlock snaking across highways and residents trapped at home. Ikorodu Road, Yaba, Ikeja and Oyingbo remained waterlogged for hours.
In Yaba and Oyingbo, shops opened late or stayed closed as floodwaters kept residents indoors. The deluge overwhelmed drainage channels in low-lying neighbourhoods, rendering major routes nearly impassable.
Along Ikorodu Road, drivers sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours as rising water blocked their way forward. Many abandoned their vehicles or took longer routes to escape the chaos.
In Ikeja, several streets became unreachable, forcing commercial bus operators to halt services on some routes. Others hiked fares to cover the risk and time cost of navigating submerged roads.
Pedestrians sloshed through flood-water to get anywhere—offices, schools, shops. Many expressed anger at the floods, noting that drainage projects and road work hadn't solved the problem.
No official deaths were reported as of the time of writing. Yet stranded commuters still crowded bus stops while traffic jams persisted across the Lagos mainland.
Wasiu, a Yaba resident, told reporters the flooding had become unbearable. "This is a recurring problem that keeps disrupting our lives," he said.
