Floods devastate Kogi communities as officials warn of worsening crisis

Floodwaters have submerged multiple communities in Kogi State, with officials warning that the situation could worsen as water levels in Rivers Niger and Benue continue to rise.

The Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mouktar Atima, announced that Ibaji Local Government Area has been completely flooded, prompting urgent calls for residents living along riverbanks to evacuate to higher ground.

During an advocacy visit to the state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Adams Abdullazeez, Atima described the state as increasingly unsafe due to the escalating threat posed by rising waters from the country’s major rivers.

He cited expert forecasts and dam management data indicating that from Tuesday night, large volumes of water would begin to flow into the Niger and Benue Rivers, potentially causing more widespread flooding.

He said: “No fewer than 258 communities in eight local government areas of the state have been marked as flood-prone areas while 42 internally displaced persons, IDPs, camps have been constructed to take care of those to be displaced while an emergency operations centre has been opened.”

Among the worst-hit areas are five communities in Ibaji LGA, including Ota, Ofogbo, and Itima, as well as Owara community in Kogi LGA.

Atima stressed that the coming days will be critical, warning: “In the next 72 hours, the state will be entering a difficult period.”

He praised the Ministry of Health for its role in disaster response and highlighted the importance of inter-agency coordination in mitigating the effects of the flooding.

Atima also commended the Health Commissioner for his ongoing support, noting, “The support was responsible for zero casualty in last year.”

In response, Dr. Abdullazeez affirmed the ministry’s readiness to handle the humanitarian fallout from the floods.

“The ministry was not only for healthcare services but for human services,” he said, emphasizing that teams and materials had been fully mobilized to support flood victims.

He added: “My ministry is aware that there may be outbreak of diseases or epidemic in the various IDP camps and we are fully prepared.”

Dr. Abdullazeez also confirmed that fumigation of all 42 IDP camps is already underway, part of proactive steps to prevent public health crises. He thanked Governor Usman Ododo for his commitment to the health sector and credited last year’s successful flood response to the governor’s prompt actions.

“There was no single life lost,” he noted, attributing the success to decisive and early intervention.