The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Saturday cautioned Abuja residents against driving during a heavy downpour to avoid endangering their lives.

Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, gave the warning while reacting to flood incident that claimed the lives of some residents in Abuja recently.

The Newsmen reports that pandemonium broke out in Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT as early morning rain washed away many houses built on waterways and claimed some lives.

The heavy downpour which started around 2 a.m. on Saturday, submerged several houses, carried away cars, pulled down buildings, and submerged soakaways leaving them open and completely damaged.

The rain also cut the bridge leading to Ikwa, Yimi, and other villages inside Zuba making motorists to seek alternative routes to their destinations.

The FEMA boss, therefore, warned residents who built on the flood plain to desist, stressing that residents must respect the master plan of FCT.

He also admonished people to ensure that all drainages are clean, revealing that what causes flood at “Giri-Gota was because people built on the flood plain.”

“People should be careful when it is raining. They should not drive on water and also they should not build on the flood plain.

“They must respect the master plan of FCT and ensure that all drainages are clean. What happened in Giri-Gota is because people built on the flood plain.

“There is a building collapse in Dawaki as a result of the flood. Gwagwalada is flooded by Giri.

“A family of five are flooded at Giri,  we got one body and still searching for four.

“We rescued six people and are admitted to the hospital. The flood has damaged a lot of houses and property, especially at Gwagwalada.

“The residents are still saying some are missing but they cannot give us the identities of such persons who they claim to be missing,” he said.