Flood kills 3, displaces thousands in Bauchi

Three people have been confirmed killed by flood while houses, farmlands and other valuables worth billions of naira have been washed away by a downpour that lasted three days in villages and communities across three local government areas of Bauchi State.

The Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Bauchi Mas’ud Aliyu, who gave the confirmation during visits to the affected communities by a delegation led by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim.

Aliyu further disclosed that the flood had displaced thousands of people and means of livelihood, including animals and farmlands, destroyed in Katagum, Shira and Giade LGAs, adding that the Azare-Isawa road had been washed away, leaving many communities stranded.

Barrister Kashim, on behalf of the governor, sympathised with the victims, assuring them that the government would definitely extend relief to support them to cushion the effect of the losses.

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The committee visited Giade LGA to assess the damage caused by the flood, particularly the Giade-Shira portion of the highway, which was completely washed away.

The team also inspected the Giade-Azare Road and Azare-Jama’are federal dual carriageway portion of the Kano–Maiduguri expressway that was cut off. The committee also presented relief materials to flood victims across three local government areas,

Similarly, a construction company MotherCat Construction Limited has filled one line of the cutoff portion and open the Kano-Maiduguri expressway to alleviate the suffering of motorists on the highway.

Speaking to Daily Trust at the collapsed portion of the road, Project Manager of MotherCat Construction Limited, Fady Khoory Hanna, said that the company had been in Azare for many years, adding that as part of its cooperate social responsibility, the company decided to open the road temporarily and make it passable.