A flood disaster in Kpoghirikpo, an ancient kingdom within the Itim community of Afikpo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, has killed at least eight people.
Following heavy rainfall, the deluge destroyed over 800 farmlands and displaced around 3,000 households, plunging the community into a severe humanitarian crisis.
On Monday, Channels Television visited the area, where residents recounted that the flood claimed the lives of a mother and her four children. A community search and rescue team managed to save four other children alive. Rescuers have recovered and buried four bodies, while efforts continue to locate those still missing.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the flood struck while many farmers were in their fields trying to salvage their produce. With farmland losses exceeding 800 plots and thousands of families left homeless, the disaster has delivered a devastating blow to local livelihoods and the economy.
The community urged both the federal and state governments to provide urgent intervention and relief materials to support the displaced and address the scale of destruction.
In response, Ebonyi State’s Commissioner for Human Capital Development, Ann Aligwe, confirmed that the State Emergency Management Agency had deployed an emergency response team to carry out immediate intervention and rescue. She added that the government had arranged relief materials to cushion the disaster’s impact.
Aligwe further advised residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas to relocate to safer zones provided by the government as the rainy season continues.