Flood deaths hit 603 in 10 months in Nigeria, official says

By Olanrewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - The death toll in Nigeria's floods has hit 603 while roughly 2.5 million people have been displaced, the disaster management minister said, according to the local media on Monday.

Sadiya Farouq, the Nigerian minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, said over 1.3 million people have been displaced by the torrential rainfall and flood which spread to 30 of the country's 36 states, Nigeria's Daily Sun reported.

"We have recorded 603 deaths since the flooding started this year and about 2.5 million people affected," the minister said on Sunday evening at a press briefing.

She said 2,407 suffered different degrees of injuries, while 82,053 houses and 332,327 hectares (821,198 acres) of farmland were completely damaged by the flood.

The government has activated a national response team in the affected states, the minister added.

The torrential downpour since February and the release of excess waters from Lagdo Dam in the neighboring country Cameroon, as well as rises in water levels of major rivers in Nigeria, have caused flooding, Musa Njadvara, a weather and climate journalist, told Anadolu Agency.

"It happened in 2012 and usually occurs every 10 years. Climate change is also compounding the flooding situation," he said.