Bauchi Floods Claim 24 Lives, Destroy Property Worth N22bn in 16 LGAs

The Bauchi State Executive Council has confirmed that persistent flooding across 16 local government areas has claimed the lives of 24 people and caused property damage exceeding N22 billion.

The announcement was made on Monday by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajara Wanka, following a council meeting.

Wanka provided an overview of the devastation, stating: “From the report they have recorded, 24 lost their lives, 163 injured, 16 local government areas affected, 60 culverts washed away, 12 major roads were cut off, 178 electric poles were destroyed, 11,183 livestock and 122,330 households were affected and 52,000 houses were destroyed.”

Despite the magnitude of the disaster, Wanka noted that no Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps were opened, explaining, “When such an incident happened, the victims were kept in primary schools, and later they joined their relatives in the town. They didn’t open any Internally Displaced Persons camp.”

Wanka also confirmed that the council has approved the release of funds to rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, including culverts, access roads, schools, and public buildings.

“The ministry is still compiling its report,” Wanka added, indicating that further details of the damage are yet to be assessed.

The state government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to thoroughly assess the full extent of the disaster.

The committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Aminu Hammayo, will include relevant commissioners as members, with the Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, monitoring its activities.

Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Dallami Kawule, outlined measures to prevent future flood disasters, announcing that his ministry will crack down on structures illegally built on waterways across the state.

He said, “The move aimed to prevent future flood disasters as assessments indicated that blockage of waterways exacerbated the problem.”

In addition to the response to the floods, Commissioner for Education, Jamila Ɗahiru, announced that her ministry had secured approval for the renovation and remodelling of the state’s Education Resource Center.

This facility will be merged with the Zainab Bulkachuwa ICT Center to form a “world-class learning centre to boost education and learning in the state.”