Nigeria: Floods - Situation Report No. 4 (As of 23 October 2024)

This report is produced by OCHA Nigeria in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued on 23 October 2024. The next report will be issued on or around 30 October.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 300 people dead, 1.2 million affected by floods in 33 states in Nigeria.
• Floods displace tens of thousands of people in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria.
• Flash floods in Dikwa, Borno State, in the north-east impede humanitarian operations.
• Numbers of cholera cases increase countrywide amid floods.
• Malnutrition on the rise in Nigeria with floods occurring at the height of a lean season within a food security and malnutrition crisis.
• Floods affect vast tracts of farmland across the country, with the top five most impacted states including Taraba, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Jigawa, threatening food security.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Floods displace tens of thousands of people in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria

Floods in parts of Kogi State have displaced tens of thousands of people from their homes in affected areas including Ibaji, Lokoja, Kogi and Bassa, according to the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS). This follows spot assessments of the flood situation in the State. While most affected people have relocated to higher ground in neighbouring areas including Idah and Lokoja LGAs, others have moved to other states for safety such as Benue, Enugu, Delta, Anambra and Nasarawa. Some have, however, opted to remain behind to protect what is left of their crops/potential harvests.

Floods had inundated more than 61,000 hectares of farmland in Kogi, according to an update, based on preliminary analysis by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) covering 1-15 October. Damaged crops, according to NRCS, include rice, yams, cassava, beans, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes. Some farmers have reportedly built rafts to salvage their uprooted immature crops.

Urgent interventions needed for affected people include health care, shelter, food supplies, non-food items including mattresses, buckets, and essential medications. The affected people also urgently need access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.

Efforts are being made to address these needs, as assessments continue to inform the response including verification of the actual number of people affected requiring continued and coordinated support. The NRCS is carrying out community sensitization, water purification and sanitation to stem the risk of disease outbreaks. Joint evacuation operations with government authorities are ongoing alongside continuing spot assessments and capacity building with partners, including the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (FMHAPA) and ECOWAS. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed emergency response teams to Kogi State for search and rescue efforts and assessments. NEMA has also deployed water purification equipment to help provide clean water to affected people.

In other states at risk of flooding, NEMA has prepositioned critical equipment for search and rescue and for the evacuation of people to safer grounds. The agency will also work with relevant State Ministries and departments to establish emergency operations centres (EOCs), as needed, for the coordination of the emergency response, including advocacy to communities at risk, evacuation, among other activities. Identified frontline states at risk of flooding include Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Rivers and Taraba.

According to NEMA, reports from the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) indicate continued alarming red alert water levels in the Niger River at Lokoja, Kogi State, and the Benue River at Makurdi, Benue State. These levels indicate a significant risk of flooding.