Flood Renders Thousand Homeless, As River Kaduna Overflowed Its Banks

Residents of Kaduna were yesterday rendered homeless as flood took over their houses, causing many untold damages and left an 11- year- old boy dead.

The big river Kaduna overflowed its banks, following a heavy rain fall.

The rampaging flood also washed away millions of properties, leading to the collapse of a building that killed the young boy in Rafin Guza,a surburb of Kaduna metropolis.

Confirming the development, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management agency (SEMA), Ezekiel Baba-Karik, stated that one person was killed by the flood.

According to him, the flood destroyed hundreds of houses across 10 local governments in the state.

The local governments affected by the flood according to the emergency official, include Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, Igabi, Kachia, Ikara, Soba, Kubau, Kauru and Lere

Other areas affected by the flood include Barnawa, Kudenda, Ungwa romi, Rafin Gusa and others.

Youths of the areas took advantage of the situation to make money from the victims to help them evacuate their properties from their flooded houses.

When our correspondent visited Kigo New Extension in Kaduna north local government area of the state which is most affected, he observed that majority of the affected victims who managed to escape watched helplessly as their properties were being washed away by the flood.

Some of those whose houses were affected but could access them were seen packing out some of their belongings with the assistance of some of the boys who could swim. But the boys charged them as much as N20,000 depending on services rendered.

One of the victims, Mr Yakubu Yacim, told one of our correspondents that, “I had to pay N12,000 to the boys who helped to bring my car out of the flooded area and they were still demanding for more money from me.”

Meanwhile, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), civil defence, Red Cross among others were on ground at the Kigo new extension rendering relevant assistance.