Sambo’s Helicopter Destroys 78-Year-Old Woman’s Home

The sand stirred up by the helicopter conveying Vice-President Namadi Sambo to Buanchor, Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State on Friday destroyed a mud-house belonging to a 78-year- old woman, Mrs. Bessie Obi, when it landed in the community.

Sambo was in the community to ascertain the extent of damage caused by recent landslide from surrounding mountains silting rivers, streams and causing flooding in the area.

As soon as the mud-house collapsed, Obi ran out and started crying profusely.

Obi was quickly attended to by officers of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency and its counterpart in the National Emergency Management Agency.

The mud-house had three rooms, an old wooden furniture and other household items.

The Director-General of SEMA, Mr. Vincent Aquah, who assessed the damage, sympathised with Obi and the four other occupants of the house and assured them that the matter would be addressed.

Assessing the damage caused by the landslide, Sambo, who was oblivious of the damage caused when his aircraft landed in the community, said the Federal Government would take pragmatic steps towards addressing the disaster.

Sambo, in company with Governor Liyel Imoke and other dignitaries, undertook a trip to some of the areas affected by the slide, including the only secondary school in the community-Buanchor Secondary School, which was submerged.

He said the Presidency was disturbed by the devastation that the agrarian community of about 3,000 people had suffered.

The vice-president, who observed that floodings, had caused colossal damage to persons and property nationwide this year, added that the Federal Government was already taking steps to address it by constituting a committee to manage the situation.