EMERGENCY SIREN! Lagdo Dam releases water, threatening to flood 8 states •LIST

Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the head of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has warned that the country’s southern states will see an increase in flooding due to the recent release of water from the Cameroonian Lagdo dam.

Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa are expected to be affected, with Adamawa already feeling its effects, as reported by Daily Trust.

During an emergency meeting with stakeholders yesterday in Abuja in response to the flood disaster that has been affecting Adamawa State since October 4, he said that NEMA had been made aware of the sudden increase in inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of the River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue states in the previous 48 hours.

There has been an increase in floodwaters along the flood plains of the River Benue, as reported by officials in Adamawa State. As the River Benue joins the River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta, “a similar situation is anticipated in the downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa Kogi, Anambra, Edo. Delta, and Bayelsa.”

He explained that the rapid release of water from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon was to blame, and that it had forced people to leave their homes.

He warned that flood waters could wash away farmland and expensive infrastructure.

“As a result of the unfolding situation,” Ahmed said, “I want to use this opportunity to alert authorities of state and local governments along the rivers Niger and Benue basin areas to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that will arise due to inundation of communities by flood waters.”

To keep you apprised of the situation as it develops, “we are expecting to receive updates from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), NIMET, NEMA Operations Office in Yola Adamawa state, and from State Emergency Agencies of the frontline states.”

He said the agency’s dashboard showed that 159,157 people in 13 states were affected by the flooding this year, 28 people were killed, and 48,168 people were forced to relocate.