Victims cry for help as flood wreaks havoc in Kogi

Displaced residents of Lokoja and its environs in Kogi State have appealed to the state government for assistance as flood continued to ravage the areas.The victims pleaded with the government to urgently provide temporary accommodation for them.The appeal followed the flooding of houses on the banks of the River Niger, which had displaced hundreds of people, including women and children.It was observed that the river had overflowed its banks, submerging houses and washed away property worth millions of naira.The government-owned Adankolo Housing Estate, located some 50 metres away from the river bank, was also submerged.Some occupants of the estate were seen salvaging their property and relocating to safer places.A victim, Mrs Rekiya Mohammed, appealed to the government to urgently provide temporary accommodation for the displaced families.Also speaking, the Chairman of Okunmi-Oworo Development Association, Malam Umaru Halladu, complained that many people had been rendered homeless due to the devastation.He appealed to the state government to relocate the victims to a safe place.Halladu described the flood disaster as unprecedented, listing the affected communities as Okunmi-Oworo, Sarki Numa, NATACO, Kpata and Adankolo.``These areas have been completely submerged and valuable property worth millions of naira lost,'' Halladu said.Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdulrahman Wuya, has appealed to residents of the affected communities to relocate for the safety of their lives.Wuya, who made the appeal while speaking to newsmen, advised the victims to relocate to a temporary camp provided by the Lokoja Local Government.However, efforts by the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent to locate the temporary camp were futile, while several phone calls made to Mr Idris Lakwaja, the Chairman of the Lokoja Local Government, were unanswered.Also, Mrs Florence Ogedengbe, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), could not be reached.She was said to be in a meeting with Gov. Idris Wada over the incident when NAN visited her office.
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