Households Displaced As Flood Ravages Katsina, Sokoto, Taraba, Others

Several communities in the North have been severely affected by floods within the past week, resulting in deaths, displacement of people from their homes and destruction of farmlands and property.
Communities in Kaita and Jibia local government areas of Katsina State were recently affected by flood following sustained rainfall, devastating households and farmlands.

The affected communities include Makada, Bugaje and Natsinta.

The flood also wreaked havoc in Bugaje and Natsina communities of Jibia and Kabobi village in Kaita local government area which borders Niger Republic.

From Sokoto State, our correspondent reports that thousands of people have been rendered homeless as a result of heavy floods.

According to officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), 2,000 households in the worst affected local government areas—Gada, Binji, Gudu and Tangaza were affected by flood with properties including livestock worth millions of naira were destroyed within the past week.

Though, there was no report of life lost within the period, officials who visited the affected communities for assessment observed significant damage to several homes.

Special adviser to the state governor on SEMA, Nasir Garba Kalambaina who assured the victims of the commitment of the government to assist them, sympathised with the affected families and appealed to them to desist from building or dumping refuse in waterways.

At Gada local government area, many farmlands and livestock were swept away. The worst affected areas are Dan Tudu village, where 62 houses and 71 households were affected. In Balakozo village, 33 houses and 48 households were affected.

Similarly, at Gidan Tudu village, 38 houses and 52 households were affected while in Tsitse town, 68 houses and 89 households were affected.

Over 1,664 people were affected in Dan Tudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse.
The assessment team also found that a large number of livestock including sheep and goats were missing while many buildings collapsed during and after rainfalls, just as 779 hectares of farmlands were seriously affected and destroyed by flood.

At Binji local government area, more than 50 houses in the Runji-Masallaci and Bajagawa communities were affected, while in Gudu local government area, Balle, Kurdula, Kutufare, Tungar-Balle, Ayama, with 3,300 households were affected and over 80 farmlands were submerged.

The displaced victims called on the government and their agencies to come to their aid in rebuilding their homes and returning to farm.

NEMA officials in Adamawa State confirmed the death of six while more than 10 people were injured as flood ravaged six communities in Madagali local government area.

The agency’s head of operations in Yola, Ayuba Ladan, while assessing the damage in the affected communities, listed the worst hit areas as Kirchinga ,Duhu, Maiwandu ,Jahili, Kokohu, Lumadu, Zhau, Palam, Kwambula, Shiware and Shuwa.

He said the flood affected about 10,264 persons and many households with the many currently taking refuge on higher grounds.

According to the official, the volume of water from heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river around Shuwa community which resulted in the severe flooding.
He said houses, shops, boreholes and many valuables were completely destroyed in the area.
The local government authorities in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross established about eight centres to shelter displaced persons.
The centres include Lumadu Primary School, Lumadu Health Centre, GSS Shuwa, Central Primary School Shuwa, Christian Secondary School Shuwa, Divine Mercy School Shuwa, Mayo -wandu and Lumadu Model Health Center.
The deputy governor, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta, commiserated with the affected people and community leaders.
She said government through the office of State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) had approved relief materials for the victims.
District head of Duhu, Mustafa Mohammad and the council chairman, Mr Simon Musa Shashi, also appealed to the federal and state governments to come to the aid of the victims over fears of disease outbreak grew in the area.

One of the victims, Hauwa Bukar, a mother of nine children, said; “Our house has been washed away, it’s only a plot of land left. We cannot question God for his actions.”
In Taraba State, Namnai Bridge in the central part of the state between Gasol and Ardo-Kola local government areas along the Wukari-Jalingo highway has collapsed as a result of a heavy rain which lasted for seven hours between Thursday and Friday.
The Wukari-Jalingo federal highway is the major route from the northern part of Nigeria to the South.

Our correspondent gathered that travelers on the road are currently taking an alternative but longer route through Garba-Chede and Mutum-Biu, which takes no fewer than six hours longer the Wukari-Jalingo highway.
The chairman of Gasol local government council, Hon. Abubakar Sadique who was at the site of the flooded bridge early Saturday called on the federal government to quickly fix the bridge to reduce suffering.

Sadiq who spoke to our correspondent lamented that the alternative route through Garba-Chede to Mutum-Biu had been a kidnappers’ den overtime.

“I have been here since 6:am I can see that travelers are suffering, the federal government should as a matter urgency come and rescue the situation, it is forcing the travelers to pass through Garba-Chede Mutum-Biu road which has been takeover by bandits and kidnappers,” he said.
In Bauchi State, the chairman of Zaki local government area, Adamu Ibrahim, says flood had submerged about 80 percent of communities in the area, washing away farmlands.
LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that a few days ago, flood killed about three people in Bauchi. It also cut off the Kano-Maiduguri expressway at Katagum local government area, while the Bauchi-Jigawa road was also submerged, in addition to other roads within the state.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the affected roads and promised to reconstruct the damaged sections.

Speaking at the flag-off construction of Garin Gamai-Madufa road, the chairman said flood had made most communities inaccessible, thereby affecting socio-economic activities.

“Zaki local government has been hit by another perennial flood that destroyed several farmlands and affected most of our communities. We have never seen a flooding of this magnitude

“At the moment, only about 20 percent of the total land mass of Zaki local government is not in flood waters,” Ibrahim said.

In a reaction, minister of defence, Muhammed Badaru Abubakar, has donated N20 million to victims of flood in over 100 communities in Jigawa State.

The minister made the donation during a courtesy visit to the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi at Dutse Government House as part of his one day visit to commiserate with victims of the flood in the state.

“With grate sorrow I came to commiserate with Jigawa State governor Malam Umar Namadii, the victims and the entire people of the state on the calamity inflicted our state which so far killed 33 people, displaced over 7,500 families and washed away hundreds hecters of farmland,” he said.

The minister urged the governor and the flood victims to take the disaster as an act of test from God and submit everything to Him, while at the same taking all necessary measures to minimise the effect of damages.

He assured the state government of the support of the federal government in assisting the victims and finding a lasting solution to the disaster.

Governor Namadi said this year’s flooding appeared different.

“This year flooding started in the month of July and August as a result of the velocity of the rainfall which resulted in the collapse of hundreds of mud houses and killed people,” he stated.