… as animals break free from zoo
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, expressed concern over the flood that affected parts of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
Flooding in Maiduguri
The President extended condolences to the government and people of the state, especially to the families that lost their means of livelihood.
Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement.
“The worst flood in recent decades, triggered by the overflow of the Alau Dam, has displaced thousands of residents and affected facilities such as the Post office and the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
“While relevant authorities are still assessing the damage wrought by the flood, the President calls for the immediate evacuation of people from affected areas.
“Tinubu assures Gov. Babagana Zulum that the Federal Government is ready to collaborate to address the immediate humanitarian needs of the affected people,” said Onanuga.
He said the President ordered the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the flood victims and remained committed to mobilising federal resources to support the state during this difficult time.
Meanwhile, Mr Barkindo Mohammed, the Director General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has described the situation in flooded Maiduguri town as “terrible.”
Water from Alau Dam, which collapsed early Tuesday morning, has continued to submerge various wards in the town while thousands of displaced residents are scouting for safer places.
Mohammed said in Maiduguri that the agency had since commenced rescue operations and distribution of sandbags.
“Just now, we went for a rescue and proceeded to distribute sandbags in Gozari.
“As I am talking to you now, I am trapped; we came to rescue some people and we are now trapped with my staff,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people are in the streets with nowhere to go while some could be seen lying or sitting under tree shades with their families.
Musa Abbas, with a family of two women and six children, said he had nowhere to go as his brothers were residing in the Bulumkutu area that needed one to cross the bridge.
“The bridge is now submerged; I can’t cross, and my brothers can only come for me.
“We will sleep here and continue to pray the rain won’t come,” Abbas said.
Meanwhile, residents around Sanda Kyarimi Zoo in Maiduguri, Borno State, trying to escape flooding, are now confused as some zoo animals have started coming out.
An ostrich and a crocodile have already escaped as the flood rages on, raising fears that others like elephants, lions, and snakes domiciled in the zoo may find their way out at any moment.
While one of the crocodiles that escaped was found dead after some unidentified person attacked it, the ostrich has been wandering.
When contacted, the Director, Forest and Wildlife, Mr Ayuba Peter, who said the incident took them unawares, confirmed that the Zoo Manager had intimated him about the recent development.
Peter said roads around the area have been blocked to stop human movement, while wildlife staff were patrolling to pick up any animal that escaped, particularly the carnivores.
A reliable source in the zoo said that about 80 percent of the animals in the zoo, particularly the carnivores who can’t escape due to their locked facility are dead, while the flood has washed away others like snakes and crocodiles.
The raging flood from the collapsed Alau Dam has continued to submerge many areas in Maiduguri and its environs.
