Fifty persons were reported killed, while scores of others displaced in a flood disaster that occurred in Nigeria’s northern Jigawa state.
The Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Sani Yusuf, told journalists in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa state on Saturday that the flood destroyed thousands of homes in the state.
He said that the situation forced Jigawa residents to take refuge in different places, including 11 temporary camps provided by the state government.
Local media reports on Monday said that some of the victims were from Balangu village where four persons were reported dead and no fewer than 237 houses were destroyed.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar, has visited the state to distribute relief materials.
The Minister, who was by the Director General National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib, to provide succour to the victims, said that her mission to the state was based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to provide the necessary support to the flood-ravaged victims.
“This incident is particularly sad because it has become perennial. This is causing serious damage to schools, houses, and the livelihood of the people,” Umar said.
The Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, commended the Federal Government for what he describes as a quick response to the incident.
GIK/APA