Kehinde Fajobi
At least 25 communities along the River Niger in Edo State have been flooded due to water released from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, affecting Etsako East, Etsako Central, and Esan South East local government areas.
Christopher Ojimah, Desk Officer for Relief Materials and Distribution in Esan South East, confirmed the situation on Monday.
He explained that many homes were submerged, forcing residents to seek refuge at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the area, which is now full.
Ojimah said, “The release of water from the Lagdo Dam has caused flooding in these three local government areas, with their houses submerged and residents having to abandon their houses. There are some communities, especially Ifeku, that are completely submerged, and their property and livestock have been swept away.”
John Odaku, a resident of one of the affected areas, described the devastation caused by the flood. “Our crops, such as yam, cassava, and groundnut, have been submerged by flood while farm produce already harvested were swept away. We couldn’t salvage our crops and livestock as they were swept away by the ravaging flood,” he said, calling on both the state and federal governments to provide assistance.
In response, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised residents to relocate to IDP camps to avoid loss of life.
NEMA’s Head of Benin operations, Dahiru Yusuf, confirmed that the agency is working with state and local governments to monitor the situation.
“Three local governments of Esan South East, Etsako East and Etsako Central are affected, and some communities are displaced already. Most of the IDP camps are ready for use,” he added.