At least one person has been confirmed killed, while over 300 farmlands and crops worth millions of Naira have been submerged as a result of heavy flooding that hit Nasarawa, Kokona and Doma Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State. The Director General of Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, Benjamin Akwash, made this known while briefing journalists on Saturday in Lafia after an assessment of the affected areas.

He explained that the agency has been carrying out sensitisation campaigns in flood-prone communities and engaging stakeholders on the need to adopt safety measures and comply with weather forecasts issued by relevant authorities. The DG decried the nonchalant attitude of people living in high-risk areas towards relocating to higher ground despite repeated warnings.

“People are finding it difficult to move to safer grounds. They prefer to remain on their ancestral lands despite repeated alerts from authorities. This is unacceptable. We cannot continue to play laxity with human lives, there must be a way out. “The state government had been working on sustainable flood prevention strategies to curb the annual disasters, rather than focusing solely on post-disaster relief efforts.

“We have embarked on full assessment of the devastation in Nasarawa, Kokona, and Doma Local Government Areas, where the disaster destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmlands and claimed one life. “This is a major setback in our drive to achieve food security and sufficiency.

Preliminary reports show that more than 300 farmlands with crops have been completely washed away,” he stated. Akwash therefore enjoined residents in riverine areas, particularly those in the five most vulnerable Local Government Areas of Doma, Nasarawa, Toto, Awe, and Kokona to relocate to safer locations in order to protect their lives and property as the rainy season continues to intensify.