By; DAHIRU SULEIMAN, Dutse
Hundreds of people have been confirmed dead while thousands of families were rendered homeless as a result of flooding due to heavy downpour in various locations in Jigawa State.
Reports from the state indicate that the flood submerged some few public buildings in Dutse the state capital, and worse scenarios were recorded in more than ten local government areas.
The most affected local government areas include, Dutse, the capital city of the state, Hadejia, Gwaram, Malam- Madori, Guri, Kiri-Kasamma, Balangu, and Kafin Hausa.
Other local government areas are Auyo, Babura, Birnin-Kudu, and Jahun.
In Kiri-Kasamma council, the flood has claimed seven lives, in addition to five lives lost in Bulangu, and eleven lives in Kafin Hausa local government areas in the state.
Contacted, the executive secretary of the state’s emergency relief management agency, Alhaji Sani Yusuf Babura confirmed the incident, noting that “the disaster affected several local government areas”.
The executive secretary explained that ”three people died in Likori town, while two in Kira village of Kiri Kasamma Local Government Area, while seven people sustained injuries and are admitted in Hadejia General Hospital”.
Alhaji Babura added that another two people died in Bulangu town at Kafin Hausa Local Government Area, while several houses, livestock, foodstuff and farm produce worth millions of Naira were lost at Ayama, Jura and Kafin Hausa towns of Auyo and Kafin Hausa local government areas.
“I’m presently in Abuja, but reports at my disposal indicate that it is not only flood, but houses were massively collapsed in almost all the parts of Jigawa State.
“I was told that presently, rain has been falling for two days now. As I’m talking to you, there are many towns and villages that were submerged by water.
“I can’t tell you the extent of damages now because rain is still falling and this is for almost three days now. But when the rain id suspended, we will dispatch our people to take inventory,” he said.
Further findings revealed that so far, 13 people lost their lives within two to three weeks in the state as a result of the flood.
Six people were earlier reported dead in Kafin Hausa town, the hometown of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and serving deputy governor, while over 13,000 houses were destroyed, and thousand of hectares of farmlands were lost to flood.
