Flood washes away farmlands in Niger, govt issues fresh warning

Set to embark on sensitisation of communities over flood

From John Adams, Minna

Communities in Niger State are beginning to count their losses as early morning rain on Sunday ripped through farmlands in Kafin Koro, Paikoro Local Government Area of the state.

Also affected are about 18 communities in Lapai Local Government Area of the state, where some farmlands were equally affected and many others are at risk of being swept away.

Dere, Eshi, Apataku, Tsakanabi, Kuchi Kakanda, Arah, Achiba, Rebba, Ebwa, Pele, Edda, Rigido, Gbami, Yawa, Baka, and Muye are among the flood-risk communities.

This comes even as the state government on Sunday re-echoed its earlier warning to riverside communities in the state to immediately relocate to higher ground as the rain intensified across the state.

The state government, in a statement in Minna on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Media and Strategy, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, appealed to communities in the affected areas to immediately relocate to a safer place to avoid further disaster in the state.

Vatsa said, though the government understands the attachment to the ancestral homes by these communities, the need for them to adhere to the government’s warning and relocate pending when the rain will be over.

“We as a government will continue to be proactive by appealing to the people, especially those at the flood-prone areas, to immediately move upland to avoid the experience of the Mokwa disaster.

“The government is aware of their attachments to their ancestral homes and lands, but with the various flood alerts and what we are already experiencing, there is an urgent need for them to heed the government’s warning.

“The Mokwa experience is still very much with us, and we cannot afford a repeat of such experience. That is why the government is urging the people to move to a higher ground.”

He disclosed that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had previously identified 15 out of the 25 local government areas in the state as very vulnerable to flooding every rainy season.

It could be recalled that the Federal Government has instructed residents in four local government areas of the state to move to safer locations as heavy rainfall is expected to trigger flooding between Wednesday, July 31, and Sunday, August 4, 2025.

This latest directive by the Federal Government follows a flood alert issued by the National Flood Early Warning Centre under the Federal Ministry of Environment, which indicates that communities in Rijau, Sarkin Pawa, Suleja, and Mashegu are at high risk of flooding during the forecast period.

The Federal Government’s warning is contained in a statement titled “Flood Prediction”, signed by Usman Bokani, Director of Erosion, Flood, and Coastal Zone Management Department, wherein the ministry urged relevant authorities to take proactive measures to mitigate disaster impacts.

“The following locations and their surrounding areas are projected to experience intense rainfall that could result in flooding within the specified timeframe,” the statement added.

While disclosing that the state government will soon embark on an enlightenment campaign to all the flood-prone communities, Vatsa called on traditional rulers, community, and religious leaders to join the government in sensitising people.