Wetin you go call am? A two-day madness wey rain bring come Zaria don scatter plenty lives. Between Thursday night and Friday morning, we see serious torrential rainfall wey don displace over 470 children and destroy more than 270 homes. E no easy at all!
When our correspondent waka go the area on Saturday, the sight wey dem see no fit sweet mouth. Collapsed mud walls, farms don turn pond, and small pikin dey huddle under make-shift shelters while dem dey shake for cold breeze. No be small wahala!
One elder, Alhaji Bala wey dey 70 years, from Magume community talk say, “This na the worst flood wey I don see for my life. The water just come rush like say na race! Before we catch our breath, e don scatter everywhere. My provisions shop join loss.”
Wetin happen be say, a team wey comprise Nigerian Red Cross Society, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and Zaria Local Government officials don go check the damage on Friday afternoon. The team led by Alhaji Jamil Jaga don confirm say the level of destruction na serious matter.
Jaga dey lament say, “We don see over 270 houses wey either don scatter or dey partially damaged and more than 470 pikin don dey displaced. Na only God fit save us to loosed lives today.” Him dey beg government and NGOs make dem come help quickly.
As residents dey yarn, plenty people don talk say this rain na something wey dem no fit believe. Hauwa Mohammed, wey get four children from Bayan Cinema, say, “We dey sleep when our neighbors start dey shout. Water just dey rush like say na jollof rice we go chop! My husband carry the children for shoulder, we no fit save anything.”
Malam Ibrahim Sani from Kofar Kuyanbana talk say the flood carry everything wey e get—mattresses, food, schoolbooks—everything just waka comot! “Now we dey stay for classroom wey local council give us, but no food, no bedding. Help we dey beg,” he dey talk.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society don start to distribute relief materials like blankets, plenty mosquito nets, and food items to some affected families. Chairman of the Zaria Division, Malam Mohammed Suleiman, say dem dey try, but e no enough, e need plenty support.
Suleiman talk say, “We don start small, but make we no lie, na plenty help we need from government and individuals wey get heart of gold.”
Meanwhile, e no end for Zaria alone o! Kigo Road Extension for Kaduna North Local Government Area don also experience serious flooding wey don affect plenty households. As dem dey run from their houses in the middle of the night, families dey face millions worth of destruction.
When our correspondent visit the place on Friday, dem dey see families by the roadside dey dry soaked clothes, while pikin dey huddle under makeshift shelters, waiting for help wey never come. One mother wey get nine children, Khadijatu Jatau, yarn say she barely manage escape flood wey come rush enter their house around midnight.
As of Friday evening, no statement don come from SEMA or NEMA about wetin dem go do to help. But local government officials don begin assess how many families don dey displaced and the damage wey don happen.
Some residents don’t dey blame blocked drainage and people wey dey drop refuse anyhow for the flooding, saying Kigo Road Extension don dey suffer from flooding for years. Abeg make we no forget say prevention better pass cure, nah!
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