Flooding: Vacate river banks – FG warn Nigerians

The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has urged Nigerians living near riverbanks along the River Benue Basin to move to safer grounds as water levels have reached critical flooding thresholds due to increased rainfall.

NIHSA Director General, Umar Mohammed, issued this warning in a statement on Thursday, advising that similar precautions be taken by those living along the River Niger, where dam management teams at Kainji and Jebba are working to control floodwaters.

Mohammed encouraged cooperation with emergency management agencies to build resilience against flooding and reduce the impact of the flood.

This advisory follows a recent warning about the release of water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam, which, along with other dam releases, has contributed to the devastation.

Earlier floods in Maiduguri resulted in the deaths of over 30 people and the destruction of thousands of homes.

Nigeria has experienced significant flooding in recent years.

In 2022, flooding claimed 665 lives, displaced over 2.4 million people, and affected more than 4.4 million.

In 2023, the floods displaced 48,168 people and caused 28 deaths.

So far in 2024, flooding has affected over 1 million individuals, displaced 625,239, and resulted in 259 deaths between April and September.

The government continues to issue warnings to mitigate further losses.