No fewer than six persons, including a toddler, have reportedly been killed by the massive flood that sacked the entire Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Two of the victims were brought ashore by divers following a boat that capsized on Tuesday while trying to ferry residents across to Ganaja village from Gadumo area in Lokoja.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed this on Wednesday through its Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, in a telephone chat with our correspondent.
“Yes, I can confirm that two bodies were discovered by divers following a boat mishap on Tuesday when trying to ferry residents across the flooded parts of Ganaja-Lokoja road.”
Also, the Chairman of Ibaji Local Government Council, Williams Iko-Ojo, while speaking with journalists said four persons, including a toddler, have been killed in addition to the destruction of the entire farmland in the local government
According to him, “As I’m speaking with you right now, there is no single habitable land in Ibaji, everywhere has been submerged and people are in a devastating condition.
“To be honest, the humanitarian crisis is beyond what the local government can tackle and we are calling on the National Emergency Management Agency, the State Emergency Management Agency and all relevant authorities to come to the aid of my people.”
Speaking in the same vein, the Ejeh of Ibaji and Chairman of Ibaji Traditional Council, Ajofe John Egwemi, called on the Federal Government to complete the dredging of the River Niger and also embark on building dams as a long-term solution to the flooding.
“I feel very devastated with the magnitude and the destructions that have come from the flood disaster. Usually, we do experience flooding of farmlands between August and October but not of this magnitude,” he added.
Ibaji Local Government Area is an agrarian settlement with the reputation for agricultural produce, but sadly, that has been submerged by the flood.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Kingsley Fanwo, in an interview with our correspondent said the state government was working tirelessly to address the problems being faced by the people as a result of the ravaging flood.
“We are deploying safety and health experts to cater for the needs of the displaced people. They are our responsibility and we will not spare any resources to protect them. The reason we have government is to provide for the needs of the citizens. We will never shirk our responsibility to our people,” he said.
