It was a black Monday for residents of Jibia local government area of Katsina State as they experienced a downpour that lasted several hours and resulting in flood which claimed 53 lives and destroyed over 500 houses.

260 livestock were also dead and farmlands destroyed. Those who died were mostly children and women. Some were washed away by flood while others died as a result of collapsed buildings. The flood also washed away vehicles. There was great mourning as sympathisers trooped into the area to commiserate with victims.

Some of the victims recounted their losses and narrated their ordeal to Sunday Vanguard. Sani Yahaya is a resident of Dan Tudu Sabuwar (new settlement) who got married to his wife, Hindatu Sani, 22, also known as Ummi, some six months ago.
According to him, Ummi died in the flood that also demolished part of their house while he was away on business trip.

Narrating his story, Sani said his wife’s last phone call to him was when the flood had submerged the house and she told him the water had got to her neck and was about taking her away. Shortly after, he lamented, her mobile phone went dead.

“I buy and sell second hand clothes. We go to Shinkafi in Zamfara every Wednesday to buy clothes and transport them, together with my boss, Awwalu, to the southern part of the country to sell”, the bereaved husband said.

“On the fateful day, she called to notify me that she was feeling discomfort in the house and I told her not to panic but pray that everything will be alright. Later that night, she called me three times but I was asleep. I called her back when I woke up and she told me that she was scared, that everywhere was flooded by a downpour and that I should help her call for rescue.

All those I called, including my younger brother, to go and rescue her told me the water had taken over the road and there was nowhere to get to my house.

“Shortly thereafter, she called to tell me that the water had reached her neck and was about to sweep her away. Her mobile phone then went dead.

“I cherished a lot of things about her. She was cool headed, obedient, respectful and of good character. We married about six months and 10 days before this incident separated us.

“My parents and other members of our family survived the flood. They are currently taking refuge in the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp”.

I couldn’t rescue my brother’s wife – Younger brother

Ibrahim Officer, Sani’s younger brother, who was living houses away from his elder brother’s house, said he attempted to go and rescue Ummi but there was no road to get to the house as the flood had taken over everywhere.

Officer however said, “I rescued our parents and my family”.

“He (my elder brother) told me on phone to go and rescue his wife, that she called him around 2am to say flood water had reached her neck and about to claim her life…and that I should send somebody from my house to rescue her.

“I was on my way when I found that the flood water was already touching my neck and head. I turned back as I couldn’t proceed. I called my brother to tell him that I couldn’t get to the house. That was when he told me that he was calling her phone but it was no longer going through.

“The water took her away. I went to Niger Republic, precisely Amada Runka, in search of her corpse. We saw the corpses of several persons washed away by the flood scattered in between stones but we couldn’t find her corpse.

Later they called me that they found her corpse in a town called Contini close to Maradi. I wept”.


My 20 months’ old son snatched from my hand by rushing water – Mother

Another victim, Amina, resident in Mai Kwari, said the flood snatched from her hand her 20 months’ old son.
According to her, the baby boy was nowhere to be found.

“I noticed some sound coming from outside my house when the rain was falling. So I rushed out to observe it”, she narrated.

“I was holding my son and my daughter, Najahatu, was in my other hand when the flood dragged me. We fell down and the water took him away. The flood was much. Up till this moment, we are yet to find him.
“My daughter and I narrowly escaped death”.

We cheated death – Ali, 60

Sayyadi Ali, who was met in front of his one-room apartment, was re-arranging properties recovered from the flood.

He narrated how his grandchildren and elder sister who were visiting him and himself escaped death.

“I had to put my grandchildren on a tree to escape. I carried my elder sister on my shoulder to assist her climb the fence of our neighbours because everywhere had been flooded. The flood reduced when the fence leading to the entrance of the house collapsed because the water was trapped in the house and not moving”, Ali said

“See the level of water on the wall. If not for the fact that we hurriedly took that step, we wouldn’t have survived because the water would have submerged us. Look at my height, I am short and see the level the water got to, almost up to the door level”.

My 12-year-old daughter died in an attempt to recover luggage – Isiyaku

Isiyaku Ngogo, a resident of Tudun Turaki, one of the areas worst affected by the flood, said he lost his 12-year-old daughter, Muhusina Ibrahim, in the disaster.

He said his nine other children, however, escaped death. “Initially, we all escaped but my 12-year-old daughter, Muhusina Ibrahim, went back to pack some of our luggage and died in the process. “This is not the first time we experienced this kind of flooding. Some 15 years ago, we experienced similar disaster where six people died.

“Why we can’t relocate from the area is because we can’t afford land in other areas and so we have to live here. But if the government is ready to relocate us, we are ready to relocate”.


We came out alive but couldn’t rescue even a needle – Mother of nine

A mother of nine children, Aisha Bishir, said their family house collapsed as a result of the flood and they couldn’t rescue even a needle.

“Our house collapsed. We, however, thank God that we didn’t lose any family member but some of our neighbours lost their lives and properties,” Aisha said.

When Sunday Vanguard visited the affected areas, officials of Katsina State Environmental Protection Agency, SEPA, were seen fumigating the areas.
Team leader, Nura Abubakar Kankia, said the fumigation was to be carried out in the entire Jibia local government area.

“We are doing the fumigation because of offensive odours and because the water now breeds mosquito among other pests. In fact, the measure is to prevent the outbreak of cholera, etc.

“We urge residents to be conscious of cleanliness of their environment. They should desist from throwing refuse on water ways,” Kankia said.

At the makeshift camp for the IDPs located at the Muhammadu Rabiu Model Primary School Complex, Jibia, several victims of the flood tragedy were seen trooping to see doctors in a clinic provided there.
Officer in charge, Zuladaini Lawal, said majority of those he attended to complained of fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

A representative of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Zakari Abubakar, said they were still profiling the IDPs to ascertain their number and then set up an organized camp.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, Katsina State Emergency Management Authority, SEMA, Dr. Aminu G. Waziri, said relief materials had continued to come in for the displaced persons.

Waziri said international donor agencies were also planning to intervene.
Communities badly affected include Kwata, Dan Tudu Sabuwar, Turaki, Tukare, Tsohuwar Tukare and Ungwar Mai Kwari.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/07/my-wife-of-six-months-cried-on-phone-as-she-was-being-carried-away-by-rampaging-water-sani-yahaya/

May God help us

Natural disaster why?

Rip to the dead

Pix attached Wife or Daughter?



RIP

SamuelAnyawu:
Pix attached Wife or Daughter?



RIP

That's the wife... One of the reasons the flood was angry

“The water took her away. I went to Niger Republic, precisely Amada Runka, in search of her corpse. We saw the corpses of several persons washed away by the flood scattered in between stones but we couldn’t find her corpse.

Later they called me that they found her corpse in a town called Contini close to Maradi. I wept”.

Nature sending back Niger people back to Niger.

SamuelAnyawu:
Pix attached Wife or Daughter?



RIP

As if you read my mind.

KraticKratus:


Nature sending back Niger people back to Niger.

I hope that you'll come and occupy the land when the nature finished flushing the foreigners back to their ancestral homeland...