Nigeria: Floods kill nearly 200 people, displaces thousands

Torrential rains and floods have killed nearly 200 people in Nigeria. The floods have also displaced at least 41,344 people across 11 communities, especially in Northern Nigeria.

Officials in flood-prone Adamawa State are worried by the downpours that have caused the latest flooding, as the rainy season is yet to peak.

The rains caused rivers such as the Benue to overflow, leading to widespread inundation of communities, farmlands, and infrastructure.

“Due to climate change and a lot of other factors, the floods have come earlier than we expected and it caught a lot of our people unawares,” Adamawa State Deputy Governor Kaletapwa Farauta said.

“Even if we are expecting floods, it is not in August, usually we always put our minds to September,” she added.

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The state government said although the flood may not have been worse than in previous years, people in low-lying areas along the Benue River must move to one of eight internal displacement camps set up in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency.

In 2022, Nigeria experienced its worst flood in more than a decade, killing more than 600 people, displaced around 1.4 million and destroyed over 400,000 hectares of farmland.

The floods have also destroyed farmlands, affecting around 693 hectares (1,712 acres) of agricultural land. Nigeria is battling double-digit inflation, which has been stoked by high food prices.

Heavy rains have added to problems in the farming sector, where farmers are deserting their farms in the northeast due to repeated attacks by armed individuals.

Many officials remain worried and are bracing for more destruction as the rainy season is yet to peak.

The government said this year that 31 of the country’s 36 states were at risk of experiencing “high flood”.

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Source: Africafeeds.com