Floods kill 137, displace thousands in eastern Nigeria

At least 30 more people have lost their lives and more than 120,000 others have been displaced due to flooding in eastern Nigeria, a local official says.

In late August, water was released from a dam in Cameroon, leading to flooding along the Benue River in Nigeria, AFP reported on Sunday.

Shadrach Daniel, secretary of the emergency management agency in northeastern state of Adamawa, said, “So far we have recorded 30 deaths from the flooding caused by the release of water from Lagdo dam in Cameroon.”

“Twenty people are still missing. The flood has displaced 121,000 people, with 61,000 living in 30 camps across the state,” he added.

However, the local Red Cross announced on Sunday that floods across Nigeria have killed 137 people and displaced more than 30,000 since the beginning of July, Reuters reported.

Red Cross spokesman Umar Mairiga said the floods affected 15 local government areas, noting that Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue states in the east-central part of the country are the worst hit.

The Benue River is the major tributary of the Niger River, flowing west from northern Cameroon into Nigeria.

Torrential rains and flash floods, which are sometimes deadly, particularly in rural areas or overpopulated slums, are common in Nigeria from March to September.