Thousands of families trapped in the flooded areas of Maiduguri are being evacuated to safer locations by the military, volunteers, and other security agencies.
During a visit to the worst-hit areas, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, toured the Customs area where a damaged prison is located. While on the tour, both dead bodies and trapped individuals were being evacuated by the military, security personnel, and civilian volunteers.
Although the floodwaters have receded in some parts of Maiduguri, heavily affected areas such as Gamboru Market, Kasuwan Shanu, Custom Area, Fori, and Abbaganaram remain submerged.
Public infrastructure, shops, vehicles, and even the Nigerian prisons remain flooded, leaving women, children, and vulnerable individuals among those being evacuated.
The Minister was accompanied by senior officials including the Controller-Generals of Immigration, Correctional Service, and the Secretary of Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board.
Maiduguri, long an epicenter of a decade-long jihadist insurgency, has now become the center of the response to this unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) noted on social media that this is the city’s worst flooding in 30 years. NEMA spokesperson Ezekiel Manzo confirmed, “Some central parts of the city that haven’t experienced flooding in years are now flooded.”
The flooding was triggered by the collapse of the Alau Dam, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Maiduguri. According to NEMA’s zonal coordinator Surajo Garba, over 150,000 individuals and more than 23,000 households have been affected so far, with the numbers expected to rise beyond 200,000.
Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima, a native of Maiduguri, explained that the collapse of the dam’s spillways caused the flood, which also inundated key parts of the city, including the post office and zoo. Authorities have warned that dangerous animals have been washed away into nearby communities, with social media images showing an ostrich wandering the streets after escaping from the zoo.