Panic over impending flood has triggered a tough crackdown in Ondo State.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered owners of abandoned heavy-duty trucks, trailers, tractors and large watercraft littering roads and waterways across the state to remove them within seven days — or lose them forever.
The governor’s directive was announced in Akure by his Senior Special Assistant on Emergency Response and Safety Enforcement, Prince Wellington Oriade Adebawo.
NiMet’s Red Alert
The order comes after a chilling warning from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet). In its Flash Flood Risk Alert for October 1-10, 2026, NiMet listed Ondo, Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River and the FCT among 21 states at high risk of flash flooding.
Adebawo said a comprehensive survey across Ondo’s 18 local government areas revealed dangerous obstructions — abandoned trucks, construction equipment, broken-down trailers, boats and barges — left to rot on highways and in water channels.
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“They are death traps waiting to happen,” he said.
No Extension, No Mercy
According to the government, enforcement will run from September 30 to October 7, 2026.
Owners of abandoned trucks, trailers, bulldozers and other heavy machinery blocking public spaces must evacuate them to safe locations. Same for owners of abandoned boats, barges and commercial vessels clogging waterways.
Adebawo warned the abandoned metals could block traffic, cut visibility, trap flood water and turn minor flooding into mass tragedy.
“This is not targeted at businesses. This is about saving lives and property,” he stressed.
Forfeiture Looms
The governor was blunt: after October 7, there will be no grace period.
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Defaulters will have their vehicles and watercraft impounded and forfeited to the state government in accordance with the law.
“The government will take necessary enforcement action to remove and impound the abandoned vehicles, equipment and watercraft,” Adebawo declared.
The move, he said, is part of Aiyedatiwa’s aggressive push to strengthen emergency response and avert the kind of avoidable deaths Ondo has witnessed in past rainy seasons.
For owners of abandoned vehicles, the clock is ticking.
