Nigeria's weeks of flooding claim 170 lives

By Timothy Olanrewaju

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – At least 170 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured in rain-and-flood-related incidents across Nigeria during two weeks of flooding, which displaced over 205,000 people, according to Flood National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) data released by the country's national emergency department on Tuesday.

According to the latest NEOC figures updated on Tuesday and released by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), so far, 170 people have been killed, 1,941 injured, and 205,338 displaced from their homes in nearly all states.

Eight states in the country's northern region have been hit hard, with rain continuing in several regions and meteorological authorities forecasting the downpour to last for the next month.

Floods have also washed away standing crops on tens of thousands of hectares of land, raising concerns about food availability in the West African nation this year.

Ahmad Saleh, a grain farmer in northeast Yobe State, told Anadolu that the majority of farmers are worried that the impact of the flood on farms will exacerbate the country's food crisis.

Ezekiel Manzo, a spokesperson for the National Emergency Agency, told Anadolu that the agency has activated its monitoring system to tackle and manage flood incidents in collaboration with emergency officials from all states.

Floods have caused significant damage in West African countries such as Nigeria's neighbours Niger and Chad, as well as Burkina Faso, which are struggling economically and facing food insecurity.

Niger is experiencing its worst floods since 2020, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Niamey, the country's capital. Over 4,000 people have been displaced since flooding caused by torrential rains began in mid-June.

Following a massive flood, thousands of Chadians fled their homes in the plain south in search of refuge.