Metro
1,664 displaced as flood ravages Sokoto communities
No fewer than 1,664 persons have been displaced as flood sacked four communities in the Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
A statement signed and made available to newsmen in the state on Sunday by the Information Officer, Sokoto Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Ghani, said the flood was due to a recent downpour in the area.
He said the flood, apart from the high number of displaced persons, also destroyed about 779 hectares of farmland in the process.
Some of the affected communities ravaged by the flood included Dantudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse towns, among others.
According to the report compiled at Dan Tudu village, 62 houses and 71 households were affected.
At Balakozo Village (Tsitse ward), 33 houses and 48 households were affected, while a total of 38 houses and 52 households were affected at Gidan Tudu Village.
At Tsitse town, a total of 68 houses and 89 households were affected.
“The recent downpour of 17th July 2024 left many residents of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State homeless and displaced.
“It also destroyed several numbers of hectares of farmlands and destroyed a high number of sheep and goats.
“This was discovered during an assessment conducted on Saturday at Gada by NEMA and SEMA officials in the state.
“The total number of people affected by the flood incidence at Dan Tudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse town is 1,664,” the report stated.
It added that the assessment team found that some numbers of livestock, including sheep and goats, were reportedly missing due to the downpour.
Meanwhile, NEMA’s Director General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, has said proper waste disposal and flood preparedness are crucial for community well-being and environmental health.
The NEMA DG, represented by the agency’s Head of Operations, Ekiti and Ondo states, Mr Kofoworola Sholeye, said improper waste disposal could trigger flood disasters and had adverse health consequences leading to significant damage to property and loss of lives.
Umar spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday, during a one-day awareness campaign and roadshow organised by the NEMA, in collaboration with the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, government agencies and relevant stakeholders.
“This initiative is to sensitise and create awareness among Ekiti people about the expected heavy rainfalls predicted by the Seasonal Climate Predictions, Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Annual Flood Outlook, which listed Ekiti among the states that would likely experience heavy rainfall and potential flooding this year,” Umar said.
The NEMA boss said flooding and the attendant losses could be mitigated “if all stakeholders stand up to the challenges and come up with the measures that would help to enlighten the people of Ekiti State on proper waste management, as many have cultivated the habit of indiscriminate dumping of refuse over the years.
“It is necessary to always promote and carry out activities that would safeguard our environment by ensuring the rapid enlightenment of the general public on the need to desist from dumping refuse indiscriminately.”
Umar lauded the commitment of Ekiti SEMA and other disaster management agencies in the state as she assured of NEMA’s willingness to sustain the synergy with the state government to explore long-term and more sustainable solutions to both natural and human-induced disasters.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Abayomi Opeyemi, urged Ekiti residents to adhere to the state environmental laws by avoiding indiscriminate dumping of waste and erecting structures on river banks and flood plains
Also, the General Manager of SEMA, Mr Oludare Asaolu, appreciated NEMA for the initiatives and collaborative efforts to avert flooding and the attendant destruction of lives and properties in the state.
Asaolu lauded Governor Biodun Oyebanji for approving funds for the dredging of waterways in high-risk zones across the state, to prevent flooding and its attendant risks to lives and properties even before the NiMET weather forecasts.
The Director General of Ekiti State Waste Management Board, Mr Olasunkami Onipede, urged residents to properly dispose of their waste at all times, saying the state government had placed Dino bins at strategic locations in the state capital for easy disposal and collection of waste.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has rescued Chief Superintendent of Police Modestus Ojiebe, who was abducted by armed men along the Kubwa Expressway in Abuja.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the development in a statement on Monday, stating that the officer had been safely reunited with his family.
“Upon receiving the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer of Dawaki Division acted swiftly, leading his patrol team while alerting all police checkpoints and key entry and exit points into the FCT. This decisive response enabled the successful rescue of the officer on the same night,” she said.
The police further disclosed that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspects, who abandoned the officer and fled into the bush in Garaku, Nasarawa State.
According to a security expert, Zagazola Makama, in a post on X on Monday, the incident occurred late Sunday night when Ojiebe’s Toyota Corolla developed a mechanical fault near Dei-Dei Barracks. While attempting to repair the vehicle, he disclosed that an ash-coloured Mercedes-Benz with four armed occupants stopped behind him.
The assailants reportedly searched and robbed Ojiebe and his wife of their mobile phones and ATM cards. Upon discovering his police identity card, they forcibly took him into their vehicle and sped off, leaving his wife and their car behind.
Following the abduction, the FCT Police intensified stop-and-search operations at various entry and exit points in an effort to track down the perpetrators.
The police assured the public that investigations were ongoing to bring the culprits to justice.
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have attacked several communities of Tse Ugema Chul, Mbakesa, Ugbaam, in Ukum Local Government Area (LGA), of Benue state killing six villagers.
Tse Ugema village settlement is just a few kilometres to Zaki Biam International Yam Market.
As at the time of filing this report on Sunday evening, a resident from the area, who didn’t want to be named, told newsmen on phone that six dead bodies have already been recovered while many others are still missing.
It was gathered that the incident took place on Friday when some cattle strayed into their farmlands and destroyed their yams.
Some youths in the area mobilized to defend their village and farm produce from the invaders when they were ambushed and killed.
The source said “while the youths were going after the cattle, unknown gunmen who laid ambush open fire and killed many of them.
He said they informed men of Nigeria Army who are stationed at a village called Wuaze, in Ukum LG which is few meters away from the scene of the attack.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benue Command, CSP Catherine Anene said she was yet to get report from Ukum.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Ukum LG, Mr Jonathan Modi has confirmed the attack.
Modi who went to the scene of the incident said he couldn’t grant interview on phone because he was in a pensive mood.
He said “I’m in Zaki Biam right now and in pains about what happened in Zaki Biam.”
Zarah Abubakar Shehu, a 21-year-old student at the Federal University Gusau, has tragically passed away while in captivity, four months after being abducted along with her two siblings.
This information was shared on Sunday by Zagazola Makama, an expert in counter-insurgency with a focus on the Lake Chad region, via a post on his X account.
Zarah, who was in her third year of studies, was taken from her residence in the Damba area of Gusau during the early hours of Sunday, November 3, 2024, by armed assailants.
Makama reported that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N35 million for their release, but after negotiations, they settled for N10 million.
Despite receiving the ransom, the abductors refused to release Zarah, instead insisting on the provision of four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil. After extensive efforts to fulfill these demands, the items were finally obtained.
However, upon informing the kidnappers’ leader, it was revealed that Zarah had already died and had been buried two days prior. She was the only daughter of her mother and endured four months of captivity before her tragic demise.
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