The National Emergency Management Agency reported that the number of fatalities due to severe flooding in Nigeria has increased to 192, affecting 29 states.
The flooding is the result of heavy rainfall and overflow from the Niger and Benue rivers.
States impacted include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, the Federal Capital Territory, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and Plateau.
According to NEMA’s spokesperson Ezekiel Manzo, the death toll rose to 192 due to recent flooding in Plateau State.
Despite warnings to relocate, some individuals underestimate the danger, raising concern that the flooding situation may worsen beyond initial predictions.
“Some people underrated the information that was given to them, because we carried out a lot of sensitisation. So, if information has been given over and over, and this thing is still happening, it means some people underrated the information.
“Secondly, there’s also the possibility that the flooding exceeded what was envisaged. Thirdly, sometime ago, we had flooding in locations that were not previously known to be prone to flooding. There is a high amount of rainfall that we have recorded so far, with high impact that has been recorded,” he highlighted.
He stated that the agency has been conducting awareness campaigns to educate and inform the public.
