Our Correspondent

Hundreds of residents have fled their homes, shops and schools following a devastating flood in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital 

One of the victims of the flood said that the flood effected  Millionaires Quarters around Gamboru Ward and its environs were also flooded even as the popular Lagos Bridge and the Moduganari bypass bridge have also been submerged and inaccessible.

Mallam Ba’aba the resident of the town said this situation is to be worse than the previous flooding incident around 1994, exactly 30 years now ago, thereby making history to repeat itself in the month of September.

The Alau Dam, which has been at full capacity for the past week, reportedly collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to the staff of Zoo park, who spoke on theflood, expressed  that the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi Park, also been submerged forcing staff to relocate to a safe place, while many animals in the Zoo including crocodiles and snakes  have strayed through the water channels, thereby raising apprehension amongst residents who are scampering to remove their properties floating on the raging flood.

Yagana Mustapha added that the flood almost effected parts of the state like, Zoo Road has been flooded with water gushing to the College of Health Technology in Maiduguri while the water is already going towards the Damboa Road ,Commissioner of Police Junction 
Comrade Butama Abiso, who is the Executive Director, Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, has urged the humanitarian action towards the victims of the flood.
According to him the flooding has left numerous families devastated and homeless, with particularly severe impact on women and children,.

He also urge on all Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) under its wing to extend their assistance to the affected communities in the State.

In a statement by Usman Tar, the state commissioner for information and internal security, issued a flooding alert, urging the immediate evacuation of those living along the riverbanks.
Tar also urged residents of the affected areas to follow evacuation routes to ensure safe passage.

“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,” he said.

In the meantime, the Borno State government has reopened the closed Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri for relocation of citizens displaced by the flood.

 
   “following the ongoing flooding across the state and its adverse effects, the Borno State Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation has directed a statewide closure of all schools, both public and private, until Monday, Sept. 23″, the statement said . 

He added that we urge all concerned parties to comply strictly with this directive.We regret any inconvenience this notice may have caused and we appreciate your understanding,” the statement added.

The schools which were initially scheduled to open on Monday, Sept. 9, but we’re forced to be closed down in less than 24 hours after resumption due to some of the schools were submerged while others are being occupied by people displaced by the flood..

Our correspondent learnt that the last time the dam collapsed was in 1994, which led to unprecedented flooding in Maiduguri, with nearly half of the town submerged.

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