Floods claim 185 lives in Nigeria

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced the deaths of at least 185 people and the displacement of 208,000 people in 28 states as a result of flooding in Nigeria.

“The heavy rains have so far destroyed 107,000 hectares of farmland, particularly in the northern states, which are among the worst hit and where most of Nigeria’s crops come from,” according to reports.

Jigawa, the state hardest hit by the floods, has recorded 37 deaths.

The impact of the floods has been devastating and the authorities are converting public buildings and schools into shelters for the displaced, lamented Nura Abdullahi, head of the state’s emergency service.

A previous report by the Nigerian authorities on August 20 put the number of deaths due to heavy rains at 30.

Since the start of the rainy season in June, many regions of Africa’s most populous country have been ravaged by flooding.