Flood: UN delegation visit Maiduguri

Officials from the United Nations (UN) and humanitarian organisations have visited Maiduguri following the event floods that ravaged the area.

This was revealed in a press release to journalists on Sunday by the National Information Officer of the UN Information Centre, Oluseyi Soremekun.

According to Soremekun, the team, comprising of international and national Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), was led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall.

The team arrived Maiduguri on Saturday on an assessment visit over the Alau Dam flood disaster.

Soremekun said the team met with affected residents, government officials, and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.

Speaking after assessing the situation, Fall said the flood-affected people are facing a crisis within a crisis, as the floods occurred during a severe food insecurity and malnutrition crisis.

“I witnessed firsthand the devastation and hardship caused by the flooding, including the destruction of homes, businesses, and infrastructure. I also saw the suffering of the affected communities,” Fall stated.

The delegation promised to carryout immediate step to alleviate the suffering of displaced families, including the provision of food, clean water, sanitation facilities, and shelter.

Also, the team said that many people affected by the floods already had humanitarian needs before the disaster, having been displaced multiple times by conflict and insecurity, and are now even more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, the director general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Barkindo Mohammed, told AFP that the number of people displaced by the flooding could reach one million people.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) revealed that at least 30 people have died in the floods.