The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has urged Nigerians living near riverbanks along the River Benue Basin to evacuate to safer areas.
In a statement on Thursday, NIHSA Director General Umar Mohammed warned that water levels in the River Benue have reached flood thresholds due to increased rainfall.
He also advised individuals living along the River Niger to relocate to safer locations as Kainji and Jebba Dam management teams work to control floodwaters.
Mohammed encouraged Nigerians to cooperate with emergency management agencies and to work collaboratively to build resilience against flooding and mitigate its impacts.
Recently, the government issued a warning for residents to move to safe ground following the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
This action came after water released from the Alau Dam overflow resulted in over 30 fatalities and the destruction of thousands of homes in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
In 2022, flooding devastated many states, resulting in 665 deaths, displacing 2,437,411 individuals, and affecting 4,476,867 people, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
In 2023, catastrophic floods impacted 159,157 people, leading to 28 fatalities and displacing 48,168 individuals, with some of the flooding attributed to the Lagdo Dam’s water release.
For 2024, NEMA reported that flooding affected 1,048,312 people from April to September, resulting in 625,239 displacements and 259 deaths.