Metro
Thousands of farmlands submerged as ‘strange’ flood hits Kwara
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lagos-Flood1.jpg&description=Thousands of farmlands submerged as ‘strange’ flood hits Kwara', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lagos-Flood1.jpg&description=Thousands of farmlands submerged as ‘strange’ flood hits Kwara', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
Flood has washed away thousands of farmlands in Shonga, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The incident has displaced several hundred rice farmers and destroyed investments running into millions of naira across thousands of hectares.
Speaking during a visit by the state government delegation led by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Princess Bukola Babalola, Emir of Shonga, Dr Halidu Yahya Ndanusa, expressed sadness over the incident which he described as a threat to food security.
He urged the state government to carry out a thorough investigation to find the cause of the incident.
According to him, “From here up to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Mali, there was no rain. The Sahel is dry. How can there be a flood here? The source of this flood must be local.
“We have asked from Kainji Dam, and they said it wasn’t from them. But Jebba Dam could not deny it. In fact, they said they would soon close it.
“We spent several years attracting people to this place. We hope this will not happen again next year to avert food insecurity.
“The Governor has spoken to me, and he took it very seriously. I didn’t expect this delegation again, given his interventions already. We are very grateful to him for his concern and for sending this powerful delegation.
“It is very important that we get to the roots of the matter. If it is true that Jebba Dam released water, what was the reason, and who authorised it?”
Muhammad Abdulkadir, a community leader, said, “Our farmers here come from different states in the north. We have farmers from Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, and Niger State, and they have lost millions of naira worth of rice farms to this flooding.
“We definitely need the government’s assistance. When there was no flooding, we realised over 3m metric tonnes of rice here annually.
“We thank the government for coming to our aid immediately. This should not end here. We want the government to find the permanent solution to perennial flooding in this axis. The permanent solution is to dredge the River Niger”, he stated.
Speaking during the visit to the Emir and the victims of the affected community at Tada, Babalola assured the victims that the government would offer assistance to the farmers to cushion the effect of the flooding on their farms.
“We are here to see the damage done to the farms, especially the rice farms in Tada community. We have seen what happened and we are taking the message back to the Governor to see what can be done to remedy the situation.
“Also, a lot of farmers are crying here that they need a lot of support. We have heard their complaints, and help is on the way”, he noted.
Babalola thanked residents of the community for their cooperation and understanding, saying the government cares for their well-being and would support them, including establishing the causes of the flooding.
The delegation also delivered relief materials worth millions of naira for the farmers in the affected community.
Heavily armed gunmen on Sunday morning reportedly abducted a seminarian of St Joseph Catholic Church and several other persons in Enugu State.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the Catholic church in the Inoyi community, Affa town, Udi Local Government Area of the state, and abducted the seminarian and an undisclosed number of other worshippers.
According to a video circulating online, the attackers stormed the church premises in the early hours of Sunday while residents were attending morning Mass.
A resident, who did not disclose his name in the video, said it was raining as people made their way to the church.
“Those who were on their way to the church saw a crowd running out of the premises. They were told that at least seven armed men had invaded the church and abducted some members, including the seminarian,” he said.
The residents said they pursued the kidnappers but were unable to do much because they were unarmed while the abductors were heavily armed.
He said members of the community were willing and able to protect themselves and enter the surrounding forests to search for the kidnappers.
However, the residents, who were gripped by fear following the incident, questioned how they could carry out such an operation without weapons.
They said even local security operatives in the area were not armed.
The residents called on the state government to intervene and ensure their safety or provide them with the means to defend themselves.
They also lamented that one of the abducted persons was an indigene of the community who had returned home to bury his father.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from officials of the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, was left stunned after two suspected drug dealers requested to take a photograph with him shortly after they were arrested and interrogated.
The suspects, identified as Omini Ezeri, 46, and Chinedum Wagbara, 42, were apprehended during a stop-and-search operation while travelling in a Mercedes-Benz ML SUV with registration number AAA 604 JZ along the Agbarho-Warri Road.
A search of the vehicle and its occupants led to the recovery of two Beretta pistols, a substance suspected to be cocaine, and a dagger. The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations continue.
As part of the investigation, Edafe interrogated the suspects. Shortly after the interview, the duo surprised the police spokesperson by asking to take a photograph with him.
In a follow-up post shared on social media, Edafe said he had never encountered such behaviour before, explaining that the suspects appeared to become excited once they realised he intended to interview them.
He added that despite being arrested with cocaine and two pistols, which they claimed were used for their drug business, they still requested to take a picture with him after the interrogation.
The Catholic Diocese of Otukpo in Benue State has confirmed the safe return of its seminarian, Kelvin Ochai, who was abducted by gunmen at Asa III in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Itodo, on Saturday.
Itodo attributed the seminarian’s safe return to divine intervention and the prayers of Christians and well-wishers.
According to the diocese, the seminarian escaped from the custody of his abductors and made his way to Aliade in Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, where he was reunited with his family unharmed.
“Through the prayers of the people of God, Kelvin escaped from the custody of his abductors on the evening of Friday, 31st July, 2026, and made his way to Aliade, Gwer East LGA of Benue State. He has since been safely reunited with his family and is unharmed,” the statement read in part.
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, Most Rev. Michael Ekwoyi Apochi, expressed profound gratitude to priests, religious, lay faithful, and people of goodwill for their unwavering support and prayers during the period of the seminarian’s captivity.
List: FG endorses 33 more universities
FG bars MDAs from awarding contracts without warrants
Posterity will judge you well for devt of FCT -First Lady Remi Tinubu
-
News14 hours agoAtiku, Obasanjo face-off may not stop until one finally dies– Shehu Sani
-
News14 hours agoKidnapped Kebbi Judge Faruku Bunza finally goes home after relaxing in abductors ‘paradise’ for one week
-
Metro21 hours agoGunmen abduct Catholic seminarian, six others in Enugu
-
News21 hours agoState Police: Sharia council warns FG against rushed constitutional amendment
-
News14 hours agoTehran Denies Negotiating With US After Trump Announces Talks
-
Economy21 hours agoDangote commits $800m to double Itori cement capacity
-
Economy21 hours agoMobile market rebounds to highest level since 2024 – NCC
-
Economy14 hours agoSee Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, August 3, 2026
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login