A severe flood in Kebbi State killed 29 individuals and destroyed 329,000 homes, displacing thousands of locals.

The storm that battered the state also drowned 858,000 hectares of farmland, wiping off crucial crops including rice, millet, sorghum, and beans and raising concerns about a potential food catastrophe.

At a press briefing on Friday, Kebbi State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Yakubu Birnin Kebbi, highlighted the government’s struggle to manage the aftermath, adding that the magnitude of the tragedy has overloaded local resources.

“Governor Nasir’s administration has done its best to assist those affected, but the magnitude of the flood demands more help,” according to the commissioner.

He noted that the state administration has created a report on the flood’s impact, which would be submitted to federal agencies in an effort to win additional aid.

He also stated that the loss of farmland may result in food shortages in the region, as the livelihoods of thousands of farmers have been lost.

“Many of them have lost their means of subsistence, the calamity has thrown farmers into poverty, a food scarcity lurks on the horizon, and our food security goal is jeopardized unless immediate action is taken to address the problem.

“The Kebbi Government will provide improved seeds and other agricultural input to farmers to return to cultivation, but more is needed” ,

“Preliminary statistics show that seven persons died in Ngaski, eight in Maiyama, five in Kalgo, seven in Jega, and two in Birnin Kebbi, as a result of the flooding.”

When questioned if the Kebbi State Government had accessed the Federal Government’s N3 billion grant for flood mitigation, the commissioner stated that he was unaware of whether the money had entered the state’s accounts.

“I am also surprised that members from Kebbi State in the National Assembly, including Senators, are yet to visit the areas ravaged by flooding to offer the necessary assistance and sympathy,” he noted.

In response to the disaster, the authorities threatened to forcibly evacuate people of flood-prone districts who refused to transfer to safer areas.