Flood kills 5, displaces 300 in Niger

Director-General of Disaster Management Agency in Niger State, Alhaji Mohammed Shaba, yesterday, disclosed that flood resulting from heavy rainfall and water from Jebba and Shiroro dams have killed five people, while over 300 have been displaced.

He said 145 communities, across 10 local government councils in the state, were affected with a lot of farmlands submerged.

Briefing reporters in Minna on Tuesday, the Director- General said the flood would affect the production of foodstuffs, especially rice, as most of the rice farmlands have been affected.

The 10 affected local governments include, Mokwa, Lavun, Edati, Chanchaga, Shiroro, Borgu, Bida, Bosso, Munya and Wushishi. The value of the damaged property has been estimated at N500 million.

Shaba said the agency needs about N50 million to cater for the victims, adding that N2 million has been spent to run the internally-displaced camp set up for flood victims.

He lamented that the state does not have the resources to cope with the disaster and decried the politicisation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which has delayed giving succour to the victims.

The Director-General said: "The residents are the cause of the disaster because some areas have been marked for demolition. They are not supposed to be residential areas, but people have converted them."

He said flood in Chanchaga Local Government was caused by the blocking of drainages and building of houses on channels by the residents.