NEMA: Four Killed in Sokoto Windstorm, Two Missing After Kaduna Flood
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the death of four persons following a devastating windstorm triggered by heavy rainfall in Kware Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The agency said the disaster affected several communities, including Mallamawa, Mai Mushe, Kaura, Sabon Gari, Rungin Tsamiya and neighbouring settlements. According to NEMA, preliminary assessments revealed that hundreds of households were impacted, while many residents sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Speaking on the incident, the Head of Response, Research and Statistics at NEMA’s Sokoto Operations Office, Tukur Abubakar, said the assessment also recorded extensive damage to residential buildings and critical public infrastructure, including a primary school and a hospital. He explained that the exercise was aimed at determining the extent of the destruction and identifying the immediate humanitarian needs of affected communities.
Meanwhile, NEMA, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), has commenced a search-and-rescue operation for two persons who were swept away by floodwaters in the Kaduna River.
The operation, involving the Kaduna State Fire Service, local divers and other emergency responders, began at Hayin Mallam Bello community in Kaduna South Local Government Area after the victims were reportedly carried away by rising floodwaters while attempting to cross the river following heavy rainfall.
The missing persons were identified as Musa Musa Bawa, a 27-year-old 200-level student of the College of Nursing, Tudun Wada, and Abubakar Ibrahim Muhammad Likoro, 25, an employee of Olam Flour Mills, Kaduna.
The Head of NEMA Operations Office in Kaduna, Halima Suleiman, said emergency responders were immediately mobilised after the agency received a distress call. She disclosed that rescue teams and local divers searched the river for several hours but had yet to locate the victims.
Suleiman assured that the search operation would continue until the missing persons are found. She also commended emergency responders and local volunteers for their commitment while urging residents to avoid crossing flooded rivers, streams and drainage channels during and after heavy rainfall.
The agency further reiterated its commitment to intensifying public awareness campaigns on flood safety as part of efforts to reduce drowning incidents and other flood-related disasters during the peak of the rainy season.