Members of the Edegaki community of Kogi Local Government, Kogi State, have expressed appreciation to the Red Cross Society Lokoja for the relief support accorded them during and after the 2024 flood that submerged them.

The entire community were evacuated to Ohono, Akpanya, Koto, for one and a half month when the flooding occurred.

Leader of the community, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim, gave the commendation while receiving a team of Rec Cross Lokoja who came on impact accessment visit to the community yesterday.

Ibrahim said, “I stand on behalf of the entire 100 households that made up the community to say we are more than grateful for all the relief support we got from the Red Cross.

“Each household received N77,000 to fund our agricultural activities, water buckets and 20 litre Jerycans for water storage.

“These items has helped us to recover faster from the flood disaster.”

Ibrahim, however, called on the Red Cross to increase their humanitarian efforts to the community, particularly in the reconstruction the only access road that links the community to Murtala Muhammed bridge.

In his remarks, acting secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross, Kogi State, Abubakar Abdullahi said, “We decided to visit the community again under the 2024 integrated flood response project to carry out assessment on the extent to which members of the community are recovering from the 2024 flooding.

“And we are glad to see that the people have made adequate use of our interventions and have fully recovered”

The people, however, reiterated their resolve not to relocate from the community despite the perennial flooding.

“We welcome your relief materials and all the humanitarian gestures from the Red Cross, but we maintain our resolve not to relocate to anywhere. We shall remain on our ancestral land come what may,” Ibrahim said.