Borno flood: Situation still terrible – SEMA

Mr Barkindo Mohammed, Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has described the situation in flooded Maiduguri town as “terrible.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports water from Alau Dam, which collapsed early Tuesday morning, has continued to submerge various wards in the town while thousands of displaced residents are scouting for safer places.

Mohammed said on Wednesday in Maiduguri that the agency had since commenced rescue operations and distribution of sandbags.

“Just now, we went for a rescue and proceeded to distribute sandbags in Gozari. As I am talking to you now I am trapped; we came to rescue some people and we are now trapped with my staff,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people are in the streets with nowhere to go while some could be seen lying or sitting under tree shades with their families.

Musa Abbas, with a family of two women and six children, said he had nowhere to go as his brothers were residing in the Bulumkutu area that needed one to cross the bridge.

“The bridge is now submerged; I can’t cross and my brothers can only come for me. We will sleep here and continue to pray the rain won’t come,” Abbas said. (NAN)