Flood has again submerged several houses and farmlands in several communities in Niger State.
This followed an early morning rainfall Sunday which ripped through farmĺands in Kafin Koro, and Paikoro Local Government Areas of the state.
The flood also reportedly affected 18 communities in Lapai Local Government Area where some farmlands were also submerged and several other farms at risk of being swept away.
Some of the affected communities included Dere, Eshi, Apataku, Tsakanabi, Kuchi Kakanda, Arah, Achiba, Rebba, Ebwa, Pele, Edda, Rigido, Gbami, Yawa, Baka, and Muye.
The state government on Sunday re-echoed its earlier warning to the riverine communities in the state to immediately relocate to higher grounds, reminding them that rainfalls have intensified across the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Media and Strategy, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement, appealed to communities in the affected areas to immediately relocate to a safer place to avoid further disaster in the state.
Vatsa said that although the government understood the people’s attachment to their ancestral homes, there is the need for them to adhere to the government warnings and relocate pending when the rainfall would be over.
According to him, “we as a government will continue to be proactive by appealing to the people, especially those in the flood-prone areas, to immediately move upland to avoid the experience of the Mokwa disaster.
“The government is aware of their attachments to their ancestral homes and lands, but with the various flood alerts, and what we are already experiencing, there is an urgent need for them to heed to the government’s warning.
“The Mokwa experience is still very much with us, and we cannot afford a repeat of such an experience.
“That is why the government is urging the people to move to a higher ground,” he said.
Basta also disclosed that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had previously identified 15 out of the 25 local government areas in the state as very vulnerable to flooding every rainy season, an advisory, which he said, the state took seriously.
The Federal Government had instructed residents of four local government areas of the state to move to safer locations as heavy rainfall was expected to trigger flooding between July 31 and August 5, 2025.
This latest directive by the Federal Government follows a flood alert issued by the National Flood Early Warning Centre under the Federal Ministry of Environment, which revealed that communities in Rijau, Sarkin Pawa, Suleja, and Mashegu are at high risk of flooding during the forecast period.
The Federal Government’s warning was contained in a statement titled “Flood Prediction”, signed by the Director of Erosion, Flood, and Coastal Zone Management Department, Usman Bokani, where he urged relevant authorities to take proactive measures to mitigate any disaster.
While disclosing that the state government would soon embark on an enlightenment campaign to all the flood-prone communities, the adviser called on traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to join the government in sensitising the people.
