Floods kill 28, displace 48,168 as Cameroon opens dam.

Floods kill 28, displace 48,168 as Cameroon opens dam.

The Federal Government, on Saturday, said 28 people have been killed and 48,168 others displaced by widespread flooding in the country.

It also drew the attention of states of imminent flooding on the River Benue line as the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon has been spilling water since October 1, 2023, a development that usually leads to massive flooding in Nigeria.

The government announced this through the National Emergency Management Agency during an emergency meeting with stakeholders in Abuja on Saturday.

Speaking at the meeting, the Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, said, “I wish to update you on the NEMA situation room dashboard which indicates that this year’s flood scenario has affected 159,157 people, resulted in the loss of 28 people and the displacement of 48,168 individuals in 13 states across Nigeria.”

Ahmed said Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Delta, Edo, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Nasarawa and Bayelsa states had been affected by the floods.

He, therefore, called for the activation of all emergency response units to be ready for any emergency because the flood would increase as the days went by.

“The update from NEMA is that the agency has been alerted to the sudden increased inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the past 48 hours.

“The sudden situation is attributed to the rapid release of water from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon and has resulted in the displacement of several inhabitants of the affected communities,” he said.

He added, “Furthermore, croplands and valuable infrastructure are at risk of getting washed away by the flood waters. Situation reports from Adamawa State confirm the upsurge of flood waters along the flood plains of River Benue.

“The situation is expected to be replicated in downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa, as the River Benue joins River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta.”