A significant portion of Maiduguri, including key landmarks such as the Shehu of Borno’s palace, the State Secretariat, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) office, and the State Specialist Hospital, has been submerged following the collapse of the Alau Dam in Konduga local government area of Borno State early Tuesday morning,leadership reports.
Floodwaters have also engulfed the Millionaires Quarters around Gamboru Ward, while the popular Lagos Bridge and the Moduganari bypass bridge are now submerged and inaccessible.
Zoo Road has been flooded, with water rapidly advancing toward the College of Health Technology. As of Tuesday morning, the flood was approaching the Commissioner of Police Junction via Damboa Road.
The Shehu Sanda Kyarimi Park, home to the Maiduguri Zoo, has been inundated, forcing staff to relocate. Several zoo animals, including snakes and crocodiles, have escaped through the floodwaters, sparking alarm among residents, many of whom are scrambling to salvage their belongings from the rising flood.
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The disaster is being described as more severe than the 1994 flooding, making this the worst flood in 30 years, once again occurring in September.
In response, Comrade Bulama Abiso, Executive Director of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, has called for humanitarian assistance for the flood victims. He emphasized that numerous families, particularly women and children, have been left devastated and homeless.
Abiso urged all Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to provide immediate support to the affected communities, adhering to the principles of humanitarian response: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. He called for aid in the form of food, shelter, non-food items, evacuation assistance, psychosocial support, and collaboration with the government and other stakeholders to ensure an effective and coordinated response.
“Let us unite in our commitment to the people of Maiduguri, upholding the values of humanity and neutrality in our actions,” Abiso said.
Meanwhile, the Borno State government has reopened the previously closed Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp to accommodate citizens displaced by the flood.
