Thousands of residents have been stranded and houses and cars were submerged as floods ravaged many parts of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
According to reports, most of the affected places are in the Jere Local Government Area of the State.
This followed the collapse of the dyke and overflow of Alau Dam which is about 10kms away from the metropolis.
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Last week, the State Government led by the Secretary to the Government, Bukar Tijjani led a Delegation to assess the situation of the Dam and reassured the general public that there was no cause for alarm or panicking as measures would be taken to mitigate any disaster, but to no avail as the water flow into the city since Monday evening to date.
The incident has so far consumed many communities including the Shehu’s palace, Monday Market, Post Office area, Gwange, Moromoro Customs Bridge, Zoo, and Bulabullin among others.
According to a victim, the floodwaters overflowed the Fori bridge, which connects Fori and Galtimari to Tashan Bama, and swept through homes with incredible force.
“Everyone should avoid the post office, Monday market even the route behind the zoo along Hissan fueling station as the flood has taken over and the road is not motorable,” Refeal told
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“We were alerted to pack our belongings at 12:30 AM, but before we could gather our clothes and school credentials, the water was already waist-deep in our house,’ said a resident of Galtimari.
A journalist working with Borno Radio Television (BRTV) said “Post Office area and our office BRTV have been submerged.”
Another resident, Bilyaminu Yusuf, said, “We are in a serious situation Lagos Street is flooded, we had to flee to Galtimari Primary School, leaving most of our belongings behind.”
In Yobe state, only five local government areas remain accessible to Damaturu the state capital. These include Nangere, Potiskum, Fika, Fune, and Gujba, while the other 12 local government areas such as Nguru, Jakusco, Gashua, Gaidam, and many more were totally cut off as flooding has destroyed bridges, roads, houses, and property worth billions of naira.
According to a short statement from the Police Public Relations Officer, Borno State Command on Tuesday morning, ASP Kenneth Daso said: “Following the devastating effect of flooding, citizens are advised to avoid flooding routes and stay in safer areas as Police and other relevant government agencies are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of lives and property”.
Similarly, in reaction to the flooding, the Borno State government has asked the affected residents to relocate and follow evacuation routes as efforts are being made to contain the flood.
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A statement on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, titled “Flooding Alert for River Bank Residents,” also called for immediate evacuation.
“Due to the unusually high volume of water this year, we urge all the residents living along the river bank to take immediate action to protect themselves and their properties. The Alau Dam water has broken down another channel that is currently destroying farms and the water is heading toward the river bank.”
The Alau Dam situated in the Alau community of Konduga local government area of Borno State in the Northeast region of Nigeria was constructed in 1984–1986. It impounds a major reservoir on the Ngadda River, one of the tributaries of Lake Chad.
It was constructed to provide water for irrigation and domestic use in Maiduguri. The dam also helps to control flooding in the area. However, the dam has also been the cause of flooding in some cases.
In 1992, the dam whose storage capacity is 112 million meter cube, reached its maximum shortage level and spilled over, causing flooding in Jere Bowl.
In 1994, a flash flood from the Yedzeram River caused extensive flooding in Maiduguri.
In 2012, torrential rainfall caused the Alau Dam to open its evacuation valve, releasing a massive amount of water that caused flooding in Maiduguri and surrounding areas.
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