The collapse of the Alau Dam, which has been overfilled for the past week, has caused severe flooding in Borno State, forcing thousands of Maiduguri residents to flee their homes. This is the worst flooding since 1994, when half the town was submerged.
In a statement on Tuesday, Prof. Usman Tar, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, urged residents living along the riverbank to evacuate immediately due to the high water levels, which are damaging farms and heading towards residential areas.
“Due to the unusually high volume of water this year, we urge all the residents living along the river bank to take immediate action to protect themselves and their properties.
“The Alau Dam water has broken down another channel that is currently destroying farms and the water is heading toward the river bank,” Tar said.
The situation has been described as “very pathetic” by civil society groups, with reports of animals escaping from the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi Zoo and the Maiduguri bypass bridge becoming flooded.
Water is also reaching critical areas such as the College of Health Technology and Damboa Road.
There are public health concerns as the Christian cemetery in Old GRA has been submerged.
Authorities have been urged to activate an emergency response to address the crisis.