Floods Kills 23, Displacing 116,000 In Central Nigerian State: Official

Since the start of the rainy season this year, flooding in the central Nigerian state of Benue have resulted in at least 23 fatalities and more than 116,000 people being displaced, an official said on Tuesday.

Since the start of the rainy season in May, significant flooding has wrought devastation in the state, according to Emmanuel Shior, director of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, who spoke to media in Makurdi, the state capital.

According to Shior, at least 74 persons suffered various degrees of injury as a result of the calamity, saying that 14 of the 23 fatalities were brought on by a boat accident that occurred in the state’s Guma local government district a week earlier.

Floods have been reported in 11 local government areas of Benue, displacing a total of 116,084 people, the official added. He said that 12,856 households overall were impacted.

Shior declared that the floodwaters had already flooded 4,411 homes and 14,040 hectares of agriculture around the state, adding that the victims needed immediate assistance. “104 villages’ schools, marketplaces, businesses, residences, and farms are affected.”To provide solace to everyone impacted by the calamity, the state’s aid organization started distributing comfort goods to the flood victims in Makurdi on Tuesday.