Nine IDP camps opened in Borno State for flood victims as death toll rises to 30 and 1m are affected

NINE internally displaced persons (IDP) camps have been opened in Borno State by the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) as the number of deaths from the recent flooding rises to 30.

On Monday this week, the Borno State capital Maiduguri got submerged under water as a result of the Alau Dam overflowing and releasing millions of gallons of water into the environment. At least 414,000 people have been displaced and another 30 killed by the devastating floods according to the United Nations Human Rights Refugee Council and the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

Nema spokesman Manzo Ezekiel added that there are now close to half a million displaced persons in Borno State as a result of the crisis. He added that more than 23,000 households have been hit by the rapid rise of waters following the weekend rupture of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River, 20km south of Maiduguri.

About 70% of Maiduguri was submerged by the fast-moving waters, which ravaged major city locations, including the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Umar Ibn Garbai El-Kanemi, the state secretariat, post office, cemetery and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Also, the floods washed away 80% of the animals at the Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo and damaged houses, schools, as well as commercial and worship centres.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State said that a preliminary assessment conducted by the government showed that more than a third of Maiduguri was flooded, which affected an estimated 1m people. He added that the federal government allocated N3bn ($1.81m) for rehabilitation of the victims and the funds would be used to provide food and other essential supplies, as well as support long-term strategies, including health monitoring to prevent disease outbreaks.

“The floods covered one-third of the city, affecting over one million people. It is very devastating. We are distributing money and food to the head of each of the families as a temporary measure to cushion the impact.

Luckily for us, we just received N3bn flood intervention fund from the federal government, so, we are using part of this fund to provide immediate support to the communities affected by the flood. We have separated them into different camps and are already providing support. We will come up with long-term and short-term measures as soon as we take the data of the people affected,” Governor Zulum said.

He also announced that cash distributions of N10,000 per household have been made to flood victims. In addition, the state government organised search and rescue operations to assess casualties and gather data on those affected.

Meanwhile, most of the inmates who escaped from the Maiduguri correctional facility after a portion of the facility’s perimeter fence was pulled down in the aftermath of the flood are yet to be recaptured. Bala Adamu , the spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service Borno Command, said that following a manhunt for the escapees, three were recaptured.