Over 2,000 houses and 30,000 residents were displaced by
a massive flood which ravaged Kaduna State on Monday.
One death was recorded in Lere Local Government Area
of the state, according to the Executive Secretary of the
Kaduna Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ezekiel
Baba-Karik.
He said the flood was one of the worst in the history of
the state.
It was gathered that 10 local government areas were
affected by the downpour that started on Saturday and
lasted till the early hours of Monday.
The Kaduna metropolis, Barnawa, Tudun-wada, and
Rafinguza were badly affected.
James Aboki, who resides on Kigo Road, told our
correspondent that when the rain started, some residents of
the area called on emergency workers, but nobody showed
up.
However, our correspondent learnt that most of the roads
were submerged by the flood, making it difficult for
emergency workers to access the affected areas.
Also, part of the link road housing the residence of former
Vice President Namadi Sambo, at Ungwan-Rimi in
Kaduna North Local Government, and the Living Faith
Church, a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel in Kaduna South Local
Area were ravaged by the flood.
The authorities of the Kingdom Heritage Model School,
owned by the Winners’ Chapel, ordered their pupils to stay
away from the school premises because of the flood.
An electronic short message from the school management
read, “Heaven on Earth greetings, all parents of KHMS
Barnawa are, please advised to keep their wards at home
until the school premises is free from flood water. You shall
be duly informed accordingly. Thanks, School
Management.”.
A light bridge along Aliyu Makama Road, Barnawa,
which links the area to the city centre, was completely
submerged by the flood. This forced motorists and tricycle
riders to take alternative routes, causing traffic gridlock in
the southern part of the state.
Thousands of houses were destroyed and many residents
rendered homeless, as farmlands were equally washed
away.
Though the residence of the former Vice President was
spared, his neighbours who built their houses close to the
Kaduna River bank were hit by the disaster.
Our correspondent who visited the affected area watched
as residents struggled helplessly to salvage their belongings
while canoe paddlers made a brisk business as they ferried
those trapped to safety.
One of the canoe paddlers, who would not want his names
in print, told our correspondent that he charged those badly
affected between N10,000 and N20,000 to ferry them and
their belongings to safety.
“We started collecting N8,000 per head but now, we
charge N20,000,” he said.
Specifically, a resident of Ungwan Rimi, who confided in
our correspondent, claimed that the flooding was not caused
by the rain, as it was being claimed, but that a dam was
open somewhere without the authorities concerned alerting
the residents.
Our correspondent observed a residential house along
Yakowa Way on the Eastern By-pass that was submerged
by the flood. The whereabouts of the occupants were still
unknown as of the time of filing this report.
Femi Adi of The News magazine, one of the victims of
the flood at the Kudenda area in Chikun Local
Government Area of the state, told our correspondent that
his house and other neighbours within the vicinity were
submerged.
He said over 50 houses located along the river side were
completely destroyed.
“It’s quite unfortunate that we could not help it. We saw
our houses being taken over by water and we could not do
anything,” he said.
He added, “I was here at the Nigeria Union of
Journalists’ secretariat (Kaduna) doing my story when I
was called that flood was gradually taking over the area,
but by the time I left and got to the house, the damage had
been done.”
When contacted, spokesman for the Kaduna State
Emergency Management Agency, Abubakar Adamu, told
our correspondent that relief workers were still going round
the state in their rescue operation.
But the Executive Secretary of the body, Mr. Ezekiel
Baba-Karik, confirmed the death of one person, saying
that about 10 local government areas were affected by the
flood.
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