Floods hit Osun communities, damage bridge and disrupt movement
Heavy rainfall has flooded communities across parts of Osun State, damaging property and a key bridge linking Ijaregbe with Ilesa while disrupting movement, schooling and commercial activity.
The flooding followed intense rainfall recorded between Friday and Monday in parts of Osogbo and Ilesa.
Affected areas in Osogbo include Ayekale, Famson Area, Oke Baale, Sasa and Ilesa Garage, while Muroko Road in Ilesa was flooded after the Ora River overflowed.
The bridge linking Ijaregbe with Ilesa was also damaged after several hours of rainfall on Monday.
Residents report property losses
Residents in Ayekale said floodwater entered homes and damaged valuables after Friday’s rainfall.
Shekinat Olaegbe, a resident, said blocked waterways had worsened conditions in her area and left residents worried about further rain.
That remains a resident account and has not been independently established as the technical cause of the flooding.
Other communities, including Ijana, Ibala, Ayegunle, Idooko and Eesun Ijesa, also experienced flooding, disrupting the movement of people, goods and services.
Bridge damage disrupts access to Ilesa
The Olomu of Ijaregbe, Oba Edward Adetimo, confirmed that the bridge linking his community with Ilesa had been damaged following the downpour.
The damage disrupted the direct link between Ijaregbe and Ilesa, affecting school trips, vehicle movement and access to the city.
The monarch said children who attend schools in Ilesa were unable to make the journey on Monday because of the damaged crossing.
Separate local reporting said vehicles and motorcycles could no longer use the affected route, forcing some residents to consider longer alternatives with higher transport costs.
Oba Adetimo said state officials had visited the area and promised a temporary intervention pending full reconstruction.
Osun government says response has begun
Osun State Commissioner for Environment Mayowa Adejoorin said the government had taken measures to reduce flood risk before the rainy season.
He cited dredging of waterways and public sensitisation against dumping refuse in drainage channels among the measures undertaken.
Adejoorin also said the Ministry of Works had begun responding to the damaged bridge and culvert serving Ijaregbe and neighbouring communities.
Those are official claims and do not, by themselves, establish how much mitigation work had been completed before the flooding or when full access will be restored.
Flooding raises infrastructure questions
The immediate concern for affected communities is restoring safe movement and preventing further property losses if heavy rain continues.
The wider accountability question is whether drainage, bridge maintenance and flood-prevention work in vulnerable communities was sufficient before the rainfall — and how quickly damaged access routes can now be restored.
No casualty or displacement figure was established in the current reporting reviewed by IDNN.
IDNN will continue to track bridge repairs, drainage response, property losses and any further flooding across affected Osun communities.