.As flood kills 5, injures 55 others in Yola – NEMA
.’Many missing, houses submerged’
A boat carrying 39 passengers has capsized in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident which happened on Saturday claimed the lives of 13 individuals.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), said 26 people were successfully rescued.
In a statement, NSEMA’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Malik Baba Suleiman, said the dead victims have been buried according to Islamic rites.
He said the agency’s search and rescue operation, which began immediately after the incident, led to the recovery of all 13 bodies.
Among the deceased were eight women, three men, and two children.
Though the identities of the victims are yet to be released, but the incident has since thrown the community into a state of mourning.
The ill-fated boat, which was reportedly overloaded with goods and passengers, capsized near Guni village around 11:45 a.m. while en route to Zumba.
It is believed that the mishap was caused by water turbulence and possible overloading, though investigations are still ongoing.
The Niger State Government, through NSEMA, has warned river users to observe safety guidelines and avoid overcrowding boats, especially during the rainy season when water levels rise unpredictably.
The incident is the latest in a series of boat mishaps that have plagued riverine communities in Niger State, prompting calls for urgent government intervention and improved water transport safety measures.
In November 2024, at least 27 people died when a boat capsized on the Niger River in central Nigeria.
The boat was carrying about 200 passengers from the state of Kogi to a food market in the neighbouring state of Niger when it capsized late on November 29, with more than half reportedly missing, according to Ibrahim Audu, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
Rescuers had managed to pull 27 bodies from the river while local divers were still searching for the missing passengers, according to the spokesperson for the Kogi State Emergency Services, Sandra Musa.
The previous month, dozens of people were feared dead after a boat capsized in north-central Nigeria.
The boat was ferrying more than 300 passengers on the River Niger when it overturned on October 3, said Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema) head Abdullahi Baba Arah.
Almost exactly a year earlier, another 29 children from a nearby village also drowned in the same river as they were on a trip to collect firewood for their families.
During massive flooding in the rainy season last December, at least 76 people drowned when their boat went down in a swollen river in southeastern Anambra State.
.As flood kills 5, injures 55 others in Yola – NEMA
In another development, The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed five dead with 55 others injured as a result of flooding in parts of Yola town in Adamawa.
Mr Ladan Ayuba, the Head of Operations, NEMA office in Yola, said the 55 injured were receiving treatment at the Modibbo Adama Teaching Hospital in Yola.
The Sunday early morning flooding recorded after heavy downpour in Yola and environs, submerged houses in some wards of the state capital.
Some of the wards affected where boats are being used to rescue people include Tashan Sani, Shagari Phase II, Sabon Pegi, Anguwan Tabo, Modire, Ummare, Yolde-Pate, Sanda Fadama II and Ibnu Abbas.
Personnel of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Red Cross, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence, NSCDC, are collaborating with NEMA in an ongoing rescue mission.
Ali Adam, a resident of Yolde-Pate appreciated the effort of the officials for coming to their aid.
Ali said they had never experienced such a situation in the area.
He also appealed to the state government to come to their aid and take action against a company he claimed was mining in the area.
According to him, the source of the water was not only because of the rain but because of a dam constructed by the company.
Yakubu Musa, a resident of Modire, urged the state government to upgrade a major culvert in the area into a bridge to enable it to accommodate large flow of water.
“There’s also the need to open some water ways blocked by some people engaged in rice farming in the area”, Musa said.
Meanwhile, many displaced persons have started taking refuge in emergency camps and primary schools.
.’Many missing, houses submerged’
Several residents, particularly children, have been declared missing following more than six hours of heavy rainfall in parts of Adamawa State on Sunday.
According to the victims, over 600 houses were washed away, and they narrowly escaped the disaster as they were separated from their family members
It was gathered that the Adamawa State Police Command, in collaboration with the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Yola, had mobilised to the affected communities to engage with residents and assist those in distress.
The state police spokesman, Suleiman Nguroje, said in a statement on Sunday that trained marine police officers and personnel had been deployed to the flooded areas for rescue operations.
“Following the downpour that hits residents of Shagari Low Cost, Sabon Pegi, Modire and Yolde Pate in Yola South Local Government Area, the Commissioner of Police, Morris Dankwambo, directed men of the marine department to relocate to the affected areas for rescue operations,” he said.
A resident of Sabon Pegi, Abubakar Adamu, who described the tragedy in tears, said, “Many lives were lost, especially children.
“We’re still trying to confirm the exact number of casualties in this ugly disaster.”
Although exact figures are yet to be confirmed, unverified accounts indicated that several people lost their lives, with children said to be among the primary victims.
Another victim, John Audu, said that his family were asleep when he noticed water had entered his sitting room and his children’s bedroom.
“The water came so fast, we couldn’t take anything,” Audu said.
The Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Celine Laori, had issued a warning to residents in lowland areas to relocate to higher ground, citing predictions that flooding could begin this month.
