At least one person was killed and over 200 farmlands destroyed in flooding across three Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State in North Central Nigeria region.
The Director General of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, Benjamin Akwash, confirmed this in Lafia after leading an assessment of the affected areas.
The D-G noted that farmlands and crops were destroyed across Nasarawa, Kokona, and Doma LGAs,, but relief materials have been approved for distribution to the affected households.
He said it was quite worrisome that residents in high-risk zones have remained reluctant to relocate to safe levels despite repeated warnings, especially during the period of the year when rainfall has reached its peak.
According to Benjamin Akwash, NASEMA has intensified sensitisation campaigns in flood-prone communities and is working with stakeholders to ensure compliance with weather forecasts and safety measures.
The Nasarawa State Emergency Agency boss urged residents in riverine communities, particularly those in Doma, Nasarawa, Toto, Awe, and Kokona, to move to safer areas to avoid further loss of lives and property.
The Nasarawa State government said it is shifting its response to a sustainable flood prevention strategy aimed at tackling annual flood disasters.
Editor: Ken Eseni