Following the devastating flood that swept through parts of Adamawa State on Sunday, leaving dozens — many of them children — missing and hundreds displaced, other states across the country are scrambling to avert a similar catastrophe.
With floodwaters wreaking havoc in communities like Shagari Low Cost and Yolde Pate in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, the disaster has triggered widespread emergency response efforts nationwide. From Anambra and Sokoto to Gombe, Edo, Ogun, Bayelsa, and beyond, state governments are activating flood preparedness plans, clearing drainage channels, assessing dam stability, and intensifying public sensitisation campaigns as warnings from meteorological agencies signal a potentially severe flood season ahead.
It was learnt that the torrential rain began around 1am and intensified through the early hours. By 3am, homes in the Shagari and Sabon Pegi areas were already collapsing as floodwaters surged through streets and into buildings.
Initial reports claimed two people died from the disaster with dozens of unconfirmed number of people, especially children, declared missing following the over six hours of downpour in parts.
Over 600 houses were washed away, according to some of the victims, who narrowly escaped death but were still searching for their family members.
As at the time of filing this report, reports indicate that at least eight people have been found dead.
According to HumAngle, a media platform committed to coverage of Africa’s conflict, humanitarian, and development issues, two children were swept away in Sapon Pegi. The victims bodies were recovered by the National Emergency Management Agency.
In Ibunu Abbas community, also known as Yola bypass, locals said NEMA officials pulled out six dead bodies, four of the bodies were men who were said to be workers in a bakery while the other two were children found alongside a drainage system.
The bodies have been deposited at the morgue in the Moddibo Adamawa Teaching Hospital, Yola.
A tearful Abubakar Adamu, a resident of Sabon Pegi, said, “Many lives were lost, especially children. We’re still trying to confirm the exact number of casualties in this ugly disaster.”
When our correspondent sought confirmation of the death toll, the PPRO, Adamawa State Police Command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, said he could not give a definite number, adding that efforts were still ongoing to rescue more residents of the affected areas.
“The Adamawa State Police Command’s operatives deployed to the affected areas are still searching and rescuing the victims of the flooding,” Nguroje said.
“As law enforcement officers, we stand with full strength and solidarity with the affected communities during this difficult time.”
Following the devastating flooding in Mokwa that claimed several lives, NEMA last month deployed officials to 15 high-risk states, including Adamawa, to intensify public awareness on the looming flood threats and the urgent need for residents in vulnerable areas to relocate.
