The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has closed the school’s amphitheatre in the wake of the rainstorm that caused its roof to collapse during a class session, injuring four students of the varsity.

The school said, “The management of the university has sealed off the amphitheatre, the venue of the unfortunate incident, until further notice.”

PUNCH Metro reported that an eyewitness, who tweets as #IfeCampus, had earlier posted, “There was a whirlwind that collapsed the covering inside the Amphitheater. Four people have been rushed to the hospital as of 8:45 a.m.

“The students were rushed to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital but were rejected but have now been taken to the OAUTHC, and the VC is already with the injured students at the OAUTHC.”

The university spokesperson, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, in a statement after the school management, led by the vice chancellor, Professor Adebayo Bamire, visited the injured students at the school clinic, urged the university community “to go about their academic and administrative activities without any form of untoward action.”

The statement read in part, “The torrential rainfall of early Thursday morning, accompanied by a whirlwind, which started as students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, were having a lecture, SER to be precise, in the amphitheatre of the Oduduwa Hall, affected the ceiling of the amphitheatre as it fell off and injured a few of the students.

“The Vice-Chancellor led other principal officers to the Medical and Health Centre of the university and ensured that the injured students were given adequate medical attention.

“The Vice-Chancellor also followed two other students, whose cases demanded more medical attention, to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, where the Chief Medical Director, Prof John Okeniyi, physically supervised the proceedings.”

Olarewaju, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday, further confirmed that the injured students were responding to treatment at the school clinic.

“Yes, they are responding to treatment”, he said.

Meanwhile, residents and motorists in several parts of Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states were left stranded on Thursday due to heavy showers, with major roads overrun by floods.

Our correspondents who visited some parts of Lagos State reported that areas such as Ojodu Berger and Jimoh Bus Stop in Egbeda, as well as Agege, were flooded, culminating in traffic congestion along the areas as vehicles drove slowly through the flooded sections.

“In this area, flooding is a common occurrence. When it rains, some of the water seeps into people’s stores, which hinders economic activities. Additionally, people avoid this area because they cannot access those who are selling things here,” a commuter in Egbeda known as Tosin told our correspondent.

A stranded pedestrian, Aishat Ojetola, vented her annoyance at the LASUTH link road at Computer Village, Ikeja, following the reported road closure that made it more difficult for drivers to get to their destination.

Ojetola said, “The road is flooded; cars could not pass due to the state of the road, and they had to pass an alternative route. Pedestrians had to walk in the flood; it got to the knee level, which is even riskier, but we had no choice.

“It caused a traffic jam and messed up everywhere because there was no gutter in the area, the water was stagnant, and there was no channel it could flow out.”

An Oyo State resident, in a video obtained and watched by our correspondent on Thursday, narrated the devastating effects of the rainstorm in parts of the state.

In the short video, a billboard at Ajibade Junction, UI Ojo Road, and the other at New Garage-Akala Expressway were seen flatly on the road, preventing motorists from passing and disrupting traffic flow, which made vehicles and pedestrians use alternative routes.

The eyewitness said, “Whoever is coming from the Ojo end and going to UI should avoid the road. This is because a billboard at Akinbode junction has just collapsed, so vehicles are using alternative routes. No vehicle was affected, and no casualty was recorded.”

END.