Flood: Zaria residents seek help after cemetery desecration

Residents of Chikaji in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State have appealed for help after a flood washed away a cemetery, houses and properties in the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the flood ravaged the area on Monday as a result of a torrential rainfall that lasted seven hours from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Zaria, the village head of Chikaji, Auwal Sani-Dambaba, said the flood affected over 200 houses in the area.

He added that the flood washed away parts of the LEA Primary School and desecrated a substantial part of the Ojo Cemetery.

“Currently, the victims took shelter in the neighbourhood but no loss of life during the incident. However, many graves were left open,” the village head confirmed.

While lamenting the tragic incident, the village head said a day and hours after the flood, there was no support or assistance from the government at the national or sub-national levels.

In a move to address the immediate challenges of the cemetery, the Chief Imam of Chikaji Central Mosque, Suleiman Liman, said the community had summoned an emergency meeting of wealthy individuals in the area.

Mr Liman said the emergency meeting would also look into the plights of the flood victims.

Ibrahim Ahmed, who was seen standing in the rubble of his 2-bedroom flat, said they were grateful to God that the flooding occurred during the day.

He said members of his family were evacuating water in the house when a section of the house collapsed, adding, “I didn’t remove anything from the house, because I was busy protecting my kids from the rubble of the building.”

Mr Ahmed appealed for support and quick interventions from the government, wealthy individuals and others to cushion the effect of the flood.

Gafai Katsina, a community leader in the area, said most of the victims of the flood were now squatting with some less affected residents, adding that some married women had returned to their parents pending the stability of the situation.

He listed the worst-hit areas along the water canal to include Yan-awaki (around Randa Kano), Chikaji down and Shika Dam.

NAN recalls that the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, on Tuesday, bemoaned the flood in Sabon Gari and sought intervention for the victims.

In a statement, Mr Tajuddeen sympathised with the victims of the flood, lamenting that such an unfortunate incident happened at a time when people were struggling to make ends meet.

He called for an urgent intervention to provide succour to the victims and urged them to stay calm as the government was taking measures to address their plights.

Specifically, the Speaker called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to urgently come to the aid of the victims.

The Speaker urged residents of the affected areas and adjoining places to take precautionary measures and heed the advice from relevant authorities on flood.

(NAN)