The devastating flood that swept through the Kpege area of Mokwa in Niger State on Wednesday night has claimed the lives of 17 members of a household, while the death toll has risen to 115.
Recounting his devastating ordeal, one of the victims, Anas Usman said, “I lost 17 members of my household to the flood disaster that happened on Thursday morning after a heavy downpour on Wednesday night. We were preparing to go to the farm in the morning when our house was suddenly submerged by the flood, we did not know where the flood came from. The flood submerged our house, causing the structure to collapse and we lost children, women and men who were our family members”.
Over 115 dead have been found, and search and rescue efforts are still underway, according to Mr Yakubu Garba, the deputy governor of Niger, who visited the flood victims for an on-the-spot assessment of the event at Governor Umaru Bago’s request.
“I have been briefed by officials from NEMA and NSEMA, who have been on ground since the incident occurred for search and rescue operations. I was told that over 100 people lost their lives and some are yet to be buried as search and rescue operations are still ongoing,” he said.
Speaking to the victims at the Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs), Garba asked them to be patient while the state administration worked out ways to give the impacted people relief supplies. According to him, NEMA had sent the state government relief supplies, which were then given to the council chairman to be distributed to the victims.
NEMA Director-General Mrs. Zubaida Umar also spoke, stating that agency representatives were on the ground directing the ongoing search and rescue effort.
Umar claimed that in order to aid the victims, the organisation donated both food and non-food supplies, including as rice, blankets, and mats, which were then sent to the state government via the deputy governor.
She also said that NEMA was working with the Red Cross and Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) to support the affected community.
The Federal Government has also condoled with the families and victims of the flood disaster. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in a statement he released yesterday in Abuja, said, “our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and all those affected by this tragic event. President Bola Tinubu has been fully briefed on the situation and has directed all relevant emergency and security agencies to intensify ongoing search and rescue operations. The immediate priority of the Federal Government is to save lives and provide urgent relief to survivors.
“The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Niger Government is working round the clock to ensure that no effort is spared in bringing help to those in need,” Idris said.
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