The National Emergency Management Agency has raised the alarm about the possibility of flooding in eight states following the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
The Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, raised the alarm on Saturday in Abuja at an emergency meeting.
The meeting of the stakeholder was a follow-up to the flooding of Adamawa State on October 4.
Ahmed listed the states that could be affected by the recent release of water from Lagdo Dam as Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa.
He said NEMA was alerted to the sudden increased inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue States in the past 48 hours.
He said: “Situation reports from Adamawa State confirms the upsurge of floodwaters along the flood plains of River Benue.
“The situation is expected to be replicated in downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa Kogi, Anambra, Edo. Delta and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta.”
He said this has resulted in the displacement of residents of the affected communities, adding that croplands and valuable infrastructure were at risk of getting washed away by flood waters.
Ahmed said: “As a result of the unfolding situation, I want to use this opportunity to alert authorities of state and local governments along rivers Niger and Benue basin areas to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that will arise due to inundation of communities by flood waters.”
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“Furthermore, we are expecting to receive updates from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) NIMET, NEMA Operations Office in Yola Adamawa state and from State Emergency Agencies of the frontline states to keep on updating you on the situation as it unfolds.”
He said the dashboard of the agency indicated that this year’s flood scenario had affected 159,157 persons, resulted in the loss of 28 persons and the displacement of 48,168 individuals across 13 states int the country.