Victims of the September 10, 2024 flood disaster that swept through Maiduguri, Jere and their environs in Borno State are still battling to cope with the damage and destruction the incident caused them.
Some of the residents, who have returned to their devastated communities, said they lost all that they have laboured for over the years as their areas are still submerged by the flood.
Some of the residents, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend about their plight, said the flood was the worst in 30 years.
According to them, a majority of the houses in the affected communities were destroyed by the flood, leaving the occupants displaced and stranded.
Consequently, some of them now sleep in the open spaces and streets with their wives and children.
Others, who initially sought refuge in the camps opened by the state government, have returned to some fairly safe abode in the communities, claiming that life in the camps was not suitable for them.
From Galtimari and Kauri to Shehuri South and North, through Gamboru and the Shehu’s Palace, the tales of woes from the victims depict that of a people surviving the ruins of war as most of their houses had been destroyed.
Similarly, from Bulabulin Ngalaran to Lamisula Jabarmari through the State Low-Cost to Goni Kachalari and then to Umarari, Zannari, Kaleri, and Bulabulin communities of Maiduguri and Jere, several houses, including their soakaways, have given way to the ravaging flood, raising the fear of a disease outbreak.
Another challenge the victims face is the invasion of reptiles, such as snakes, in their homes and the muddy nature of the premises as the flood recedes in some areas. Also, the houses in their present state are not habitable until the areas are fumigated and disinfected and the structures tested for strength.
For instance, in the Bayan and Chinese Quarters of Jere local government area, seven snakes have been killed a while a woman was bitten by the dangerous animal.
Also, the outbreak of contagious diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea looms as the victims have resorted to defecating in the open since the soakaways of their latrines gave way to the midnight flood.
One of the residents, Abubakar Nyas, a businessman in the Bulabulin area of Maiduguri, who lost four of his six houses to the flood, said life had not been easy for him and his family.
Nyas, who has three wives and 35 children, said he split his children and wives among his relatives, adding that some of them sleep on the streets since the two remaining houses need fumigation before they can become habitable.
He said, “I had six houses of which four have been destroyed by the flood. The remaining two are still flooded and there is no place for my family members to live. I have shared them among my relatives and some of them are sleeping on the streets. I am here every night to guard the property in the two houses.
“I am appealing to the government and good-spirited individuals to support in rebuilding our destroyed homes. My business premises was washed away by the flood. I have nothing to feed my family with again,” he said.
Another resident, Babagana Mustapha of the same Bulabulin community, said the flood remains a nightmare to him, adding that apart from bringing down their houses, their foodstuffs were washed away by the flood.
He said the government urged them to enter the camp “but because of criminals that loot our property in our absence, we decided not to go the camp for the safety of our property.
“We have not received any item from government since the flood disaster. Since the incident occurred, the governor has been to other communities affected except Bulabulin. We are calling on him to come to our rescue. I have two wives and 16 children; we have nothing to eat for now. We want the world to come to our aid,” Mustapha said.
For Hajara Peter Malqwi of Chinese Quarters situated opposite the state’s College of Agriculture which was equally submerged by the flood, of the 32 houses in the quarters, five were brought down by the flood.
“Our major challenge here is that the water is still stagnant in the houses still standing. Snakes are all over the houses. So far, seven snakes have been killed in one of the houses. One of the residents was bitten by a snake and till now she is still undergoing treatment. Our foodstuffs were washed away by the flood. We want the government to come and fumigate the houses and take the water out,” she said.
Hauwa Sangara who lives at the back of the Shehu’s Palace, said the flood at about 2am and cleared their five houses.
“We ran to the Shehu’s Palace when the flood came and returned to a totally flat ground when it receded. We are only managing what the government gave us in the camp before it was closed.”
For Fati Ali of Budum area of Maiduguri, her major concern is the condition of their houses and latrines that have been destroyed by the flood, leaving them to defecate in the open. She feared an outbreak of disease in the area.
“We have not received any assistance from the government since the incident occurred. We are in dire need of food as most of us are widows. The government should come to our aid so that we don’t die of starvation,” Fati said.
50,000 Hectares Of Rice, Millet Farms Submerged In Zabarmari
The Zabarmari area of Jere local government area is known for rice production and has been a source of millet, vegetables and orchards that supply food and fruits to the city and environs.
Musa Ali, a rice farmer in the Zabarmari area whose farmlands were submerged and destroyed by the flood, said not a single rice in his farm is standing after the flood.
Musa said so many farmers in his area also suffered the same losses even as he expressed fear that the flood had cut the supply of foods such as rice, millet, vegetables and fruits to the city.
Similarly, the member representing Jere Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Satomi, who lost about 2,000 hectares of rice farm in his Satomi Integrated Farms Ltd, said that since the Alau Dam is located in the Jere local government area, the flood swept the northern part of the town to the main city. After the main city, which is the exit route, it went through 57 communities in Jere and Mafa.
Satomi said, “We are an agrarian community. We are known for rice farming but you cannot find a single rice farm standing. From point zero to our boundary with Mafa LGA and South, from Monguno and parts of Marte, we have lost over 50,000 hectares of farmlands across the Jere Bowl. It is something that will affect not only the state, but the entire country in terms of food security.
“The government should take cognisance and prepare our people for dry season rice farming because this place is very fertile. The federal government should compensate the farmers to alleviate their suffering. We want the world to know what has happened to Borno State; we don’t want it to happen to other parts of the country.
“I was told that the flood has gone up to Mafa to Dikwa local government areas and we don’t know where it is heading. It has taken over almost the cluster of Satomi Integrated Farms, as well as community farming. We need the intervention of the federal government and the international community. Let them come to our aid.”
The legislator called on the federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to try and ascertain the data of what the flood has destroyed so that the government can quickly plan immediate intervention.
Also calling for urgent intervention for the victims whose rice, millet, corn, and vegetable farms have been submerged in Jere, Mafa, and their environs, the lawmaker representing Jere State Constituency in the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Abba Kyari Abba Kolo, lamented that the LGA was 75 per cent ravaged by the flood.
He encouraged the farmers to take solace in God and accept what happened as God’s will.
Kolo said, “The economic activities of the people of Jere is 75 per cent gone. I appeal to Governor Babagana Zulum, the federal government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide the needed support to the farmers. Governor Zulum has been supporting the farmers and I know he will do more for them.
“The first flood incident occurred 30 years ago, but not at this magnitude. We are happy that measures are being taken to prevent this in the future. It has taken over the whole state indirectly, because all the communities that are engaged in agricultural activities are not producing again because the farms have been destroyed by the flood,” Kolo said
Relief Committee Swings Into Action As State Gets N7bn Donation
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has inaugurated a committee to disburse relief packages to victims of the Maiduguri flood disaster.
Governor Zulum inaugurated the 35-member committee on Monday at the council chamber of the government house in Maiduguri.
The governor charged the committee to ensure transparency in its activities.
“To the members of the committee, I urge you to approach this task with diligence and integrity. We must be accountable for every resource entrusted to us,” he told them.
Meanwhile, after an on-the-spot assessment of the communities affected by the flood, the co-chairman of the disbursement committee, Prof. Ibrahim Umara said the over N7 billion so far received out of the over N13 billion pledges and promises from donors cannot address the needs of the victims who are in hundreds of thousands.
Umara said, “Yesterday we started with Galtimari and Kauri. We proceeded to Shehuri South and North, and from there we proceeded to Gamboru and returned to Shehu’s Palace and saw the magnitude of destruction.
“Today, we started with Bulabulin Ngalaran. We came to Lamisula Jabarmari through the State Lowcost, and from there, we proceeded to Goni Kachalari,then to Umarari and to Zannari and Kaleri ,and concluded in Bulabulin.
“The people whose buildings were pulled down as a result of this flooding are in hundreds of thousands,” he said.
Umara lamented that despite this magnitude of destruction, some political jingoists or hired bloggers and Internet merchants are making stories that the donations and pledges made so far can tackle the needs of the affected victims, which he said is an affront to the victims and to the people of Borno.
“The bloggers are exaggerating the expectations at the hurt of the victims by instigating the people against their government, which is very unfortunate. They should be priotising enough and calm down people by telling them that government intervention is only assistance.
“It is unfortunate that I have seen one of the bloggers calling on the anticipating donors to stop donating to the Borno government, rather that they should channel the aid through them to come down to the people.
“It is very unfortunate. They should come and verify the reality before they embark on what I describe as a campaign of calumny. The House of Representatives turned down the N300 billion support for the flood victims. In contrast, the needs of the victims run in trillions of naira, not even billions, considering the magnitude of the destruction.
“What I want them to understand is that the development partners’ pledge is not in cash. Some are in materials. So that is what we want then to understand. Their role is good. We need the media to put the government on track by engaging in constructive criticism, not blackmail. What they are doing is blackmail so that they can get followers, and they are not going to get anything,” the co-chairman of the Maiduguri flood committee said.