A recent downpour in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State has resulted in a devastating flood that has displaced at least 1,664 people from four communities.
According to a statement by the Sokoto Emergency Management Agency’s Information Officer, Abdullahi Ghani, the flood has also destroyed extensive farmland, leaving several hectares of crops ruined.
The affected communities were not specified, but the agency’s statement confirmed that the flood has left many residents homeless and in need of assistance.
The Sokoto State government has been urged to provide aid to those affected and take measures to prevent future flooding in the area.
“The recent downpour which happened on July 17, 2024, left many residents of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State homeless and displaced.
“It also destroyed several hectares of farmlands and resulted in the perish of a high number of sheep and goats.
“This was discovered during an assessment conducted on Saturday at Gada by NEMA and SEMA officials in the state,” the statement partly read.
It added that “some of the affected communities ravaged by the incident include Dantudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse towns, among others.
“According to the report compiled, at Dan Tudu village, 62 houses and 71 households were affected’ while at Balakozo village (Tsitse Ward), 33 houses and 48 households were also affected.
“Similarly, at Gidan Tudu village, a total of 38 houses and 52 households were affected by the incidence. At Tsitse town, a total of 68 houses and 89 households were also affected.”
The statement further noted that “the total number of people affected by the flood at Dan Tudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Trait town is 1,664.”
Nigeria has experienced some floods of great magnitude in 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Before now, the Federal Government, through the Minister of State of Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed that 94 towns are at risk of a five-day flooding beginning Tuesday, July 16, and ending on July 20, 2024.
Salako said the identified locations and their environs would likely witness heavy rainfall that may lead to flood within the prediction period.
A non-governmental organisation, Safe and Better Nigeria, on Friday, July 19, 2024, called on the federal and state governments to take lessons from past destructive floods in the country.
The NGO noted that adequate preparation would cushion the effects of the 2024 flood.
In the late hours of Thursday, July 18, 2023, four persons were swept away by flood in the Nnewi North LG of Anambra State during a downpour that occurred in the community.
The downpour, which continued till Friday and Saturday, generated heavy floods that reportedly swept away the victims, including a mother and child.
