Gully erosion destroys 30 houses, cuts off Edo community road
- A gully in Agor-Uwagboe, Oredo LGA, Edo State, has destroyed about 30 houses, residents say.
- The erosion has cut the community's road to Ofumwengbe and Egbiri, leaving only a wooden bridge for motorcycles.
- Residents protested on Sunday and asked Governor Monday Okpebholo to intervene before the community is lost.
Residents of Agor-Uwagboe community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State say a fast-growing gully has destroyed about 30 houses and cut off their road to neighbouring communities.
The erosion has swallowed the access road linking the community with Ofumwengbe and Egbiri. Residents have put up a makeshift wooden bridge so that motorcycles carrying passengers can still cross.
On Sunday, they staged a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the Edo State Government to their situation, according to Vanguard.
Letters without answers
Ernest Uwagboe, a community member who has been raising awareness about the problem, said the gully keeps expanding every year and is now creeping into the community.
He warned that if the state government does not step in, the whole community could be gone within three years.
Community spokesman Kenneth Adoni said residents had written several letters to government agencies over the past three years but no one had come to their aid.
We are begging Governor Monday Okpebholo to come and help us.
Adoni said residents can no longer cross to other communities, and that whenever it rains, children cannot go to school.
The residents are asking the state government to fix the erosion and restore access to their neighbours.
What happens next
The sources do not say whether the Edo State Government has responded to the protest or the community's letters. Until there is an intervention, residents say they will keep relying on the wooden bridge to move in and out.
