Residents of flood-ravaged Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, are facing hunger and starvation in addition to the agony of death of family members, destruction of property and displacement from their homes and livelihoods.
The problem of lack of food is exacerbated by the increasing number of people seeking refuge in the camps as victims trapped in various communities make their way to the temporary government shelters.
Ali Modu Shehuri, a flood victim from Gamboru ward of Maiduguri, said his eight children and wife in the camp are facing severe starvation, adding that as of 12pm on Friday, they had not eaten anything.
He said whenever a small amount of food is brought to the camp, people stampede to grab what they can, with the stampede for the food leading to deaths in the camp.
He appealed to the government and good-spirited individuals to come to their aid and rescue them from hunger, starvation, and homelessness, as some have lost their homes to the flood.
LEADERSHIP learned that another serious issue affecting the camps is discrimination, negligence, and favouritism by officials who distribute the limited food.
Flood: Declare State Of Emergency In Borno, ALGON Tells Federal Gov’t
Most victims who spoke to our correspondent said such issues have caused people to forgo waiting their turn for food, adding that without strength, one cannot get food in the camp.
The victims who voiced their concerns to the director of Social Services in the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Shettima, during her visit to the Bakassi IDP camp, called on the government to address the discrimination by those managing the food distribution in the camps.
Some of the traumatised people have died in a stampede for food.
Three are reported to have died in Yerwa Government Secondary School and the Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp — two of the temporary camps provided by the Borno State government — due to the food stampede.
While an unidentified 27-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman died from burns sustained from hot local pap (kunu) spilled from a large pot during a stampede for the on Thursday, a 20-year-old female victim died at the Bakassi IDP camp when a local vigilante controlling the crowd hit her on the neck with a stick. She slumped, was rushed to hospital, but died the following day from the injuries.
Speaking on the incident, 40-year-old Ali Mustapha, who was displaced by the flood at the London Cikin area of Maiduguri, said the lack of food in the camp contributed to the stampede for the limited supplies.
More Families Declare Members Missing, 300 Separated Children in Camps
Another distressing aspect of the flood is the separation of families and the displacement of individuals across various camps.
Ali Mustapha, a victim from the London Cikin area of Maiduguri, said had has not seen his mother since the incident occurred.
He appealed to the government to sensitise victims about the various camps where people have been relocated so families can find their missing loved ones, adding that the conditions in the camps are unbearable.
Falmata Bukar, a victim from the Bulabulin Samiya area of Maiduguri, said she has been separated from one of her seven children.
Falmata Mustapha of Gwange ward reported that since the incident, she has been searching for three children out of the six she has. Her husband is taking refuge in the Gubio IDP camp, while she and her children are in the Bakassi IDP camp.
She lamented that all efforts to locate them have been fruitless, as relatives who volunteered to search for them have given up due to the difficult access routes caused by the flood.
Similarly, Fatima Mohammed Adam, a victim from Old Maiduguri in Jere local government area, reported that out of her eight children, one is missing.
She said the boy went out for early morning prayers and was not back by the time they fled the rising flood; they could not wait for his return.
Also, Halima Mohammed, a victim from Old Maiduguri, said the flood, which came as a surprise, did not allow them to organise themselves before fleeing for safety. In the process, one of her seven children fled in a different direction, and she has not received any information about her whereabouts.
The Director of Social Services in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Shettima, while addressing victims protesting their treatment in the camp, said she was there to address some of the issues faced by flood victims.
She revealed that the state had identified more than 300 unaccompanied and separated children and said the ministry visited the camps to identify these children so the government could reunite them with their parents.
She said that seeing a mother unable to find her child creates a high level of trauma, which is why she was in the camp to address these issues.
“We are going to call a meeting to sit down with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other stakeholders to identify and address the issues.
“We have identified over 300 unaccompanied and separated children. Some of them have been taken to Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre, while others are in Bakassi and other camps.
“We are also working closely with SEMA and NEMA to keep these unaccompanied children in one setting so we can move them to Bulumkutu. Some of them we have heard have parents here, so we will leave them here, and if we cannot identify their parents by evening, we will provide proper care until we can reunite them with their families,” said Aisha Shettima.
Magnitude of Destruction Can’t Be Determined Now – Governor Zulum
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has stated that the magnitude of the destruction caused by the devastating flood from the Alau Dam in Maiduguri cannot yet be quantified.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Zulum made this statement on Friday during a statewide broadcast on the flood.
“The magnitude of the destruction from this devastating flood cannot yet be quantified until the water has receded and on-the-spot assessments have been conducted.
“We shall constitute a multi-stakeholder committee to undertake a sector-by-sector assessment of the losses to guide the recovery and rebuilding process.
“However, recovery from such a disaster cannot be the government’s responsibility alone. It requires the collective effort of all stakeholders.
“Today, I am appealing to everyone – community leaders, business owners, non-governmental organisations (national and international), and our esteemed wealthy individuals – to come together in support of our brothers and sisters who are suffering.”
Dangote Donates N1.5bn, Governors, Others Mobilise More Funds
Financial support has started pouring in, with Aliko Dangote announcing a donation of N1 billion from the Presidential Committee on Flood and an additional N500 million from the Dangote Foundation.
“I just want to clarify, we have this flood committee. NEMA wrote to us, so we sat down and approved N1 billion to NEMA to work with the Borno state government,” Dangote said.
“On top of that, the Aliko Dangote Foundation will also contribute an additional N500 million, making a total of N1.5 billion.”
Former Governor of Borno, Senator Ali Sheriff, and House of Reps member, Mukhtar Betara (APC-Borno) each donated N100 million, while Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa donated N50 million.
On his part, Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa State, announced the donation of an unspecified number of trucks of relief materials to support the Borno State government.
Betara, expressing solidarity with the victims of the Maiduguri flood, assured that necessary interventions would be provided through relevant institutions to ensure their rehabilitation.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa also donated N50 million and six speedboats to the Borno State Government to support victims of the recent flooding in the state.
In another development, the Gombe State Government donated N50 million to the Yobe State government to support its efforts to provide succour to victims of the Mafa insurgency attack and the flooding across the state.
Gombe State Deputy governor, Mr Manesiah Daniel Jatau, who represented Governor Inuwa Yahaya, described the attack on the community as sad and unfortunate.
A statement signed by Mamman Mohammed, director general of Press and Media Affairs to the governor, said the donation of N50 million was to support the state government in providing assistance to the victims.
“We share with you the double tragedy of the attack on the community and the floods that claimed lives and swept away houses and farmlands,” he said.
Governor Mai Mala Buni commended the Gombe State government for its support during this trying moment.
“I am highly delighted with this show of sympathy and brotherhood exhibited by the Gombe State government. We will continue to cherish this support, care, and visit,” Buni said.
He noted that security challenges are a global phenomenon that requires collective efforts to address.