Thousands of residents in Maiduguri, Borno State, have fled their homes due to severe flooding in the Fori, Galtimari, Gwange, and Bulabulin, which began on September 10, 2024. The United Nations Human Rights Refugee Council (UNHCR) and residents of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) likened the recent flood to the devastating “Ambaliya” flood of 1994, describing it as the city’s worst experience to date.
Losses caused by the flood
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reports that the latest flood has claimed the lives of over 30 people and displaced more than 400,000. However, the death toll is expected to rise as authorities continue their rescue efforts to reach thousands of residents believed to be trapped in their homes.
Goni Ba Usman, a survivor of the flood, crying profusely, explained that his wife and five children were still missing.
Speaking with rescue workers at one of the IDP camps, he said, “The last time I saw my wife and the kids was on Tuesday, around 6:30 am. You are giving me water; how can I drink water when I have not seen my family since the flood struck?”
Another woman recounted losing family to the flood. “My mother and her grandchildren are still out there in her flooded home,” Maimuna Musa, a survivor, told HumAngle. “I don’t know what has become of them.”
According to NEMA, 70% of Maiduguri has been submerged by the fast-moving waters. The flood has ravaged major city locations, including the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Umar Ibn Garbai El-Kanemi, the state secretariat, the post office, a cemetery, Lagos Area, Bulabulin, Gwange, Monday Market, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and Kofar Shehu.
The cause of the flood
The flood has been attributed to the collapse of the Alau Dam, which has been at total capacity for the past week. Contrary to assurances from the state government, led by Secretary Bukar Tijjani, who inspected the dam last week and declared the situation under control, the dam catastrophically failed, unleashing devastating floods on the city since Monday evening. The government’s failure to take adequate measures has exacerbated the disaster, leaving widespread destruction and displacement in its wake.
The Alau Dam, which receives water from the Yedzram and Gombole rivers, is located in the Alau community of Konduga local government area of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria. On September 13, 1994, the Alau Dam catastrophically failed, unleashing a devastating flood that ravaged multiple communities, including Bulumkutu, Gomari, Gamboru, London Ciki, and Bulabulin (encompassing Gwange and Gamboru). This disaster was not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a series of failures, with previous flooding incidents occurring in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991.
The government’s response to the flooding crisis
Following the disaster, President Bola Tinubu, who’s currently abroad, expressed deep concerns over the flooding in Maiduguri and called for the immediate evacuation of residents in communities overtaken by floods.
The Borno government has opened up internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for victims across the state.
Speaking with TheCable on Thursday, Manzo Ezekiel, NEMA spokesperson, revealed that more than 100,000 people are currently in various IDP camps. He added that 80% of animals at the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo in Maiduguri were killed during the ongoing crisis, which he described as the state’s most devastating flood disaster in 30 years.
Weighing in on the flooding disaster, the Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, Barkindo Muhammad, said, “We went for a rescue and proceeded to distribute sandbags in Gozari…now I am trapped; we came to rescue some people, and we are now trapped.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri on Tuesday to sympathise with the people of Borno. The vice president drove to Bakassi camp, where thousands of those displaced by the flood were taking refuge, and told the distraught victims that the government would support them with 50 trucks of rice.
Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has donated ₦100 million to aid the victims of the recent flood in Maiduguri. The lawmaker, who represents Biu/Bayo/Shani and Kwaya Kusar Federal Constituency in Borno State, presented the donation to Governor Babagana Zulum during a visit to assess the flood damage in Maiduguri.
Already, several institutions and government agencies have shut down, with the University of Maiduguri closed until further notice.
This is a developing story.
