Flood cuts off road linking Jigawa to three neighbouring states

Flooding has cut off the major road linking Jigawa State with the three neighbouring states of Kano, Gombe, and Bauchi.

The Guardian learnt that the incident occurred due to a heavy downpour early yesterday morning.

Sources said the major highway connecting Birnin Kudu to Malawa, Babaldu, and the neighbouring states of Gombe and Bauchi was entirely submerged, thereby preventing vehicular movement.

The spokesperson for Jigawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Badruddeen Tijjani Mahmud, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, advised motorists to take alternative routes to avoid the affected area.

He said: “The situation is critical. We urge all motorists to exercise caution and take alternative routes to ensure safety.”

According to him, NSCDC personnel have been deployed to redirect motorists and maintain order.

He said the flood also affected nearby communities, with residents reporting damage to homes and farmlands.

Similarly, about 1,200 households in Buji, Gwadayi, and Balangu in Buji and Kafin-Hausa Local Councils have been rendered homeless as a result of devastating floods which ravaged the affected communities.

One affected victim, Nasiru Hamza Gantsa, appealed for assistance, stressing that the flood had destroyed sizable farmlands.

Others also complained of losing their belongings and lamented the lack of basic necessities of life, such as food and clean water.

Responding, the Executive Secretary of Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Haruna Mairiga, promised prompt intervention and the evacuation of victims to highland areas.