Maiduguri Floods Force Mass Evacuations As Alau Dam Bursts; President Tinubu Orders Urgent Response

Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Barkindo Mohammed said that the situation in flooded Maiduguri was "terrible," after water from the Alau Dam, which collapsed early Tuesday morning, flooded many parts of the town.

Mohammed further shared that President Bola Tinubu has expressed concern over the disaster, and instructed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit the affected city.

The flood has caused thousands of residents to be displaced. Many people were seen in the streets with no place to go, while some were resting under trees with their families.

"Just now, we went for a rescue and proceeded to distribute sandbags in Gozari. As I am talking to you now I am trapped; we came to rescue some people and we are now trapped with my staff," he said, Premium Times reported.

One such affected family -- Musa Abbas with two women and six children -- said he had nowhere to go. His brothers lived in Bulumkutu, but the bridge to get there was underwater. Abbas said they will stay where they are and hope it doesn't rain again.

The flooding happened just a few days after the Federal Government had predicted heavy rainfall and potential flooding from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8 in 21 states and 123 locations, before urging everyone to take precautions.

The government also advised communities that live near the River Benue to evacuate, as the water levels were rising.

Last week, people living along River Yedzaram in Maiduguri were worried because the river had overflowed its banks.

On Sept. 6, some buildings and farmland in Gwange Ward of Maiduguri were underwater. Also, a stream called Ngaddabul, which ran through the town had overflowed and flooded buildings and farmland in Maduganari Ward.

A resident of Gwange named Mustapha Ali said, "We are in distress and afraid that more rainfall or release of excess water from the dam can spell more doom for us. Already, some places like the Customs area, College of Agriculture and 505 Estates are experiencing serious flooding from the rivers."

After the dam broke and caused a flood that submerged many homes, the state commissioner for information and internal security Usman Tar called for an immediate evacuation early Tuesday.