Floods submerge Maiduguri metropolis, hospitals, schools, others closed in Borno
Floods submerge Maiduguri metropolis, hospitals, schools, others closed in Borno
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Maiduguri metropolis and Jere Local Council are flooded with the displacement of thousands of residents and livestock from communities sited along the banks of the River Ngadda in Borno.
The surging massive floods caught the residents unaware of the bursting of the Alau dam in the early hours of Tuesday.
Alarming reports also indicated that the severely affected communities and the Business District Area (BDA) included the Shehu of Borno Palace, Monday Market, Sanda Kyarimi Zoo, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
Other submerged communities and institutions comprise the Eye and Dental Hospitals, Fori and Abbaganaram wards located on the sides of riverbanks of the metropolis, and Jere local council.
As residents scamper to safety along with a few personal belongings, they walked to some of the closed Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as tricyclists, bus drivers, and taxi drivers withdrew their vehicles from playing on the flooded roads.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre and the empty primary and secondary school buildings are occupied by the fleeing residents.
At the press centre, a handful of journalists and neighbouring victims are being accommodated until the flood waters recede and return to their homes.
The state government also urged the affected residents to stay safe, as it has prepared for relief materials, including temporary shelters at designated uplands in Maiduguri.
In a swift response to the flood disasters, the General Manager of the Borno Museum Park, Hon. Ali Abatcha Don Best, said the floods have caused damage to property and the loss of 80 percent of livestock in the zoo.
According to him, most of the animals, including antelopes, baboons, crocodiles, and snakes, were either killed or drawn into flood waters.
“Some of the dead animals have been washed away into the submerged communities of Moduganari and Bulumkutu,” he said.
The general manager assured the safety and protection of the remaining animals in the zoo.
The Network of Civil Society Organisations Borno State is calling on all Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) under its wing to extend their assistance to the affected communities.
“Our focus should be on safeguarding the well-being and dignity of those affected, providing aid based on genuine need,” said the CSOs.
