170 people killed in Nigeria floods over past weeks
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Over 200,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing floods, which have injured 2,000 and destroyed over 100,000 hectares of agricultural land.
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NEM in conjunction with JSEMA conducted another flood incident assessment in Gwaram local government area, Jigawa State on August 26, 2024. (X/@nemanigeria)
At least 170 people have been killed in floods that have been ongoing for the last several weeks in Nigeria, CNN reported, citing Nigerian National Emergency Management Authority spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel.
Nigerian newspaper Punch reported on Monday that over 200,000 people have been displaced, with 2,000 injured and 100,000 hectares of agricultural land destroyed.
"In the coming days, the central parts will soon witness similar floods, and even downwards to the southern parts," Ezekiel said, Punch reported.
The report added that other parts of the nation remain at risk due to heavy rainfall and rising water levels in the Niger and Benue rivers, the largest rivers in the country.
Floods hit 10 states in Nigeria, threatening to worsen food crisis.
Floods caused by prolonged rains have destroyed agricultural land in eleven northern Nigerian states, threatening to exacerbate the country's food crisis, Nigeria's Punch daily said on Monday.
According to Punch, the flooding ravaged the states of Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Sokoto, and Kebbi, which have previously experienced drought, followed by floods.
According to agricultural experts quoted by the newspaper, Nigeria's food crisis might grow unless fast and decisive action is taken.
An anonymous State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) official told the newspaper that the agency is aware of the present situation and is highly worried about it, but that it cannot take any action until it receives a detailed report on the issue.
The flood wiped away 2,744 hectares of farmlands. From August 1 to 13, 2024, the state had sporadic downpours, resulting in multiple floods, the deaths of 21 people, and the devastation of farmlands and buildings," Haruna Mairiga, a SEMA officer in Jigawa state, told Punch.
He also stated that the damage to farmers' crops in the state is about $630,000.
