The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria reportedly shut down the airport on Wednesday after assessing the damage caused by the storm, leaving several travellers stranded.
A staff member of the airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the storm wreaked havoc on essential equipment, particularly in the engineering department.
“Monday’s rainstorm damaged several pieces of equipment in the control tower, including the network time protocol, encoder, air conditioners, computers, and other engineering tools. The windows were shattered, and part of the ceiling caved in,” the source disclosed.
“If you go around the airport, you’ll see that many buildings, including staff quarters, were affected. About seven staff quarters had their roofs blown off by the heavy storm,” she added.
As a result, all commercial flights have been suspended until further notice pending the repair of the damaged infrastructure.
Efforts to reach the Head of FAAN in Akure, Mrs. Yemisi Adebiyi, for comments were unsuccessful, as her phone line was unreachable and a text message sent to her remained unanswered as of press time.
Beyond the airport, the storm also wreaked havoc in several communities in Akure North Local Government Area, including Eleyewo, Ilu Abo, and Bolorunduro, where properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Residents said the downpour, which lasted for several hours, began around 6:30 pm on Monday, damaging vehicles, shops, churches, and other structures. However, no casualties were reported.
