Devastated father mourns 9-year-old son killed in Calabar landslide

…Says, “This is the darkest moment of my life”

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

With those words, Mr. Namson Effiong recounted how a landslide in Burrow Pit, Satellite Town, claimed the life of his nine-year-old son and destroyed everything he owned.

The tragedy occurred on Friday, July 18, 2026, during heavy rains that triggered floods and landslides across Calabar.

Effiong made the disclosure when a joint assessment team from theNational Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, CR-SEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross and Local Emergency Management Committees, LEMCs visited the affected community.

The team was led by the Vice Chairman of Calabar Municipality, Hon. Okon Etim Nyong, who guided the delegation to the affected areas

The devastated father said he lost his only child and all his belongings in the landslide, and had to borrow the clothes he wore to receive the delegation.

His words: “The landslide claimed my only child, destroyed virtually all my belongings, leaving me with nothing. I had to borrow the clothes to receive the delegation and this is the darkest moment of my life.”

One of the affected landlords, Hon. John Bassey David, took the assessment team round the community, explaining the extent of the damage sustained by residents.

The CR-SEMA Director General, Mr. Efa Nyong, sympathized with the family and assured them of Governor Bassey Otu’s support. He said findings from the assessment would be presented to the governor for immediate intervention.

NEMA’s Acting Head of Operations, Mr. Awoji Austin, said the assessment was to gather accurate reports for necessary action. He urged residents in disaster-prone areas to heed early warnings and evacuate unsafe buildings.

The team also assessed flood damage in Ekorinim 2, where more than five buildings were affected and over 15 households displaced after a blocked drainage channel forced water into homes.

At Federal Housing Estate and parts of Calabar South, including Goldie Street and Target Street, the team documented collapsed fences and flooding caused by blocked drains and waste disposal.

Community leaders appealed for urgent government action on roads, water and healthcare.