Flood claims many lives in Katsina

At Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State about 45 persons have been reported dead after an heavy rain causing disaster in 10 communities.

The rain which started around 11:00 pm on Sunday and lasted till the early hours of Monday destroying over 1,000 houses with more than 250 livestock confirmed killed.

Some of the communities affected by the flood are Kwata, Dantudu, Sabuwar, Tukare, Tsohuwar Tukare and Ungwar Mai Kwari, among others.


The disaster also sacked many residents from their homes and shops as their apartments were flooded.The failure of the rain to stop on time caused the river channels in the affected villages to overflow their banks, killing many residents and sweeping away several vehicles, motorcycles and farmlands, in the process.

The Head of Jibia Local Government Administration, Almustapha Idris, confirmed to Channels Television that 21 persons were buried on Monday.

He added that authorities from the neighbouring Niger Republic have asked them to come and recover 18 more bodies.

The State Governor, Aminu Masari, has since visited the affected communities but refused to speak to reporters.As at the time of filing this report, residents were still salvaging their properties from their homes while some were packing out of the affected areas.

The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had listed Katsina as one of the states that would experience heavy rainfall, in its forecast earlier in the year.

During his visit on June 29, he visited the palace of the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman, where he addressed the people.The incident occurred less than three weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari visited Katsina, his home-state to commiserate with the victims and families of those affected by an earlier rainstorm.