Fears of fatalities as Borno dam collapses, displaces half a million 

Hundreds of thousands were displaced yesterday after floods submerged Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and its suburbs.

Although there are no immediate reports of fatalities, there are fears that this could change as the magnitude of the tragedy becomes more evident.

Online footage has shown entire houses submerged underwater.

The flood came after torrential downpours and the collapse of the Alau Dam.

Reports suggest over 500,000 residents may have been displaced.

The Alau Dam is a significant water resource located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Maiduguri. It was constructed primarily for irrigation and has a water-holding capacity of about 100 million cubic metres.

Many residents of the Fori, Galtimari, Gwange, and Bulabulin areas were displaced. Also, vast portions of the Jere Local Council were affected.

The floodwaters overflowed the Fori Bridge, which connects Fori and Galtimari to Tashan Bama, sweeping through homes with incredible force.

The Post Office, museum, Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and Maiduguri Zoo (also known as Sanda Kyarimi Park), located in the city centre, were inundated.

Farmers harvesting their crops were severely affected by the flood as their barns were washed away.

Residents were warned to evacuate their homes near Sanda Kyarimi Park after dangerous reptiles, including snakes and crocodiles, were seen in the flooded water after part of the zoo’s fence collapsed. A crocodile from the zoo was reportedly put down to prevent danger. Several ostriches also escaped from the zoo and were seen in the town.

The General Manager of Borno Museum Park, Ali Abatcha Don Best, said the floods damaged property and caused the loss of 80 per cent of the zoo’s livestock.

Some institutions and government agencies were forced to shut down.

The University of Maiduguri was closed until further notice. The management announced the temporary closure in a statement by its registrar, Ahmad A. Lawan. The institution sympathised with staff members and students affected by the disaster.

An official of the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Maiduguri said over 200 inmates escaped from the facility after a part of the facility’s fence was pulled down in the aftermath of the flood.

The official, who spoke anonymously, said, “The rain was torrential and caused a terrible flood which affected our facility. Part of the wall of the Maiduguri New Prison collapsed and some Boko Haram commanders held in our facility have escaped with other prisoners. Those who escaped are more than 200 in all. We were able to move 200 other inmates to a different facility.”

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Abubakar Umar, said, “We’re taking stock across the country,” and asked for more time to assess the situation.

In a statement in the early hours of yesterday, Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, called for the immediate evacuation of flood victims.

He said, “Due to the unusually high volume of water this year, we urge all residents living along the riverbank 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 riverbank.”

The Borno State government ordered the closure of schools on Monday, citing reports that the flood in the state could worsen within 48 hours.

Also, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman, Manzo Ezekiel, told The Guardian that the agency’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, instructed the search and rescue team to redouble their efforts to ensure that trapped people are taken to safer, higher ground.

He confirmed that about 70 per cent of Maiduguri town is seriously flooded. He said the state government, working with the agency, is currently evacuating affected victims to the Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located in Maiduguri.

Ezekiel said, “The flooding started around the weekend, but it became worse yesterday after it was discovered that the dam had flooded and water had entered the town. Through the Northeast zonal office, NEMA is working with the Borno state government to evacuate the trapped residents. The situation is such that people who were taken to safety after the initial flooding had to be evacuated again from the initial safe location they were taken to. I am talking about Gwange Primary and Secondary School.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Government assured the public of the administration’s commitment to tackling the menace of recurring disasters, particularly the challenges of flooding in the country.

Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who gave the assurance, said that although the factors leading to the devastating floods and other disasters in the country are diverse, the government has already developed a comprehensive roadmap aimed at addressing the challenges head-on.

Shettima spoke in Maiduguri during an on-the-spot assessment of the flood.

Earlier, President Bola Tinubu ordered the evacuation of people in the areas affected by the flood.

Commiserating with the disaster victims, Shettima disclosed that President Tinubu not only expressed his “deepest sympathies” but also assured the public that the Federal Government would prioritise the welfare of the affected communities.

He said: “I am deeply devastated by the flood that has engulfed Maiduguri and its environs. My heart goes out to the families who have tragically lost their homes and livelihoods in this calamity. Our grief is shared, but so is our resolve to offer support and comfort as you recover from this disaster. Now, more than ever, we are compelled as a nation to come together to overcome the losses suffered, and we are committed to finding lasting solutions to this recurring issue.”

Lamenting the impact of the flood, a resident, Yaaji Philip Alimpta, told The Guardian that the flooding had locked down the capital city. She also blamed the government’s negligence.

She said, “The flood has had a severe impact on us. I was supposed to go to work, but my usual route through the post office was flooded, so I had to change my route. However, when I reached another area, I saw people running because their neighbourhood was flooded. There was even a petrol station that seemed to have exploded around that time.

“Currently, people are seeking shelter on bridges and some houses have been completely submerged by the flood. The government has been negligent in addressing this issue, despite being informed about it a month ago. Normally, during the rainy season, the water levels used to be high but manageable. However, this time, the water rose to an unprecedented level .

“Schools have been shut down, and they were asked to stay closed for two more weeks to see how the situation can be handled. Most of us have been asked to work from home; on my way from work, I got an email that I should stay at home.”

Another affected resident, Naomi Patrick, said there were signs of the likelihood of flooding, but people ignored them.

“I stay behind the Sheraton Hotel in Maiduguri. Streets near my area have been flooded for some time. We have been getting signs that this place might be flooded because of the level of water in our neighbouring streets. We didn’t know it would get to this level. We moved out early in the morning around 8:00 a.m. This is because it started gradually, and when we noticed what happened, we had to leave our house immediately.”
A structural engineer, Victor Oyenuga, said the collapse of a dam is not the same as that of a building. Therefore it’s not something anyone can speak on without knowledge of the process.

Oyenuga said the government needs to determine whether the collapse of the Alau Dam was caused by human error.

He said, “For instance, if the dam overflows and it is not opened at the appropriate time, it can collapse. I also think the government should ensure most of the dams are cleared as regularly as possible.”

Experts said other factors that could have caused the collapse include inadequate design or construction, poor engineering, insufficient materials, or substandard building techniques, which could lead to structural weaknesses.

They also identified possible overloading, which might have exceeded the dam’s capacity and could have put pressure on the structure, causing failure.

Expressing concerns over the collapse of Alau Dam and the consequences for its immediate environment, the General Manager of Oyo Water Corporation, Elias Adeojo, said it has become imperative for governments to take the safety of dams across the country seriously to prevent similar occurrences.

He said dams need daily and periodic maintenance to prevent them from collapsing, adding that structural design may be one factor that caused the dam to give way.

He said it has become important for the government to begin integrity tests of all dams across the country and also desilt those that need to be de-silted.

“When you have a lot of silt inside any dam, it could push the water beyond the normal level and then overflow and cause flooding. Desilting a dam is indeed very expensive; nevertheless, it has to be done every 10 years or so. As it is, dams across Nigeria need continuous maintenance,” he said.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) expressed its sympathy with the victims of flood disasters in the northern states and other parts of Nigeria.

It advised citizens to observe building plans and avoid dumping refuse in waterways and drainages.

The National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammed-Baba, said in a statement, “The sad scenes and images from Maiduguri are symptomatic of the situation in many communities across the states, with no end in sight. The ACF regrets the dire situation in which people and communities have found themselves and grieves with all those impacted by the problems. ”

Also, former Senate leader Mohammed Ali Ndume expressed his sympathy to the people and Government of Borno State following the flood.

In a statement, Ndume, who represents Borno South, called on the Federal Government to intervene immediately and support the state government in helping affected residents and their homes.

Ndume, who just returned from Borno, where he reached out to families affected by insurgency in the Southern Senatorial District of the State, said he was devastated by the news reports of the flood.

He said the state government, being very proactive, had already activated all mechanisms to salvage the situation by evacuating people from affected areas and providing the needed support.
However, he lamented that the gravity of the damage is beyond the state government, hence the need for the Federal Government to step in immediately and assist the residents in getting the needed support.

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima said: “The flood, which began over the weekend and worsened in the following days, directly resulted from excess water from the Alau Dam. The collapse of the spillways unleashed a significant surge of water downstream, causing widespread flooding in the surrounding communities. As we speak, efforts are ongoing to evacuate and resettle residents in the affected areas while ensuring the provision of food, shelter, and medical assistance until the situation stabilises.”

Vice President Kashim Shettima added, “In response to our 2024 Flood Outlook, we implemented comprehensive contingency plans and adopted proactive measures to mitigate potential impacts. Despite these preparations, the severity of this flood has far exceeded our estimates, making it the most catastrophic flood in Maiduguri in over three decades.

“The flood’s unprecedented scale has presented challenges beyond our previous experience. Nonetheless, the Federal Government remains determined in its commitment. As with other states facing similar crises, we will continue with the plans previously initiated in collaboration with the Borno State government. We are resolute in mobilising all necessary resources to ensure the safety and support of affected people and areas.

“This disaster serves as a sobering reminder of the increasing threats posed by climate change, not just globally but particularly to regions like ours. Nigeria’s vulnerability to flood disasters has been highlighted repeatedly, as witnessed during the devastating floods of 2012, 2018, and 2022. The factors contributing to these recurring disasters are diverse, so President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has developed a comprehensive roadmap to address these challenges head-on.

“Based on data gathered by our emergency response agencies and early warning centres, the government has intensified its interventions in flood-prone areas. These areas, characterised by erratic rainfall patterns and complex river basin dynamics, have been prioritised in our flood mitigation strategies to safeguard communities, protect agricultural zones, and reinforce critical infrastructure.”