Flood: Houses submerge, properties worth millions of naira destroyed in Yola

By Abubakar Muhammad Adamu

Following ednesday’s early hours of rainfall in the twin towns of Jimeta and Yola, Yolde Pate, Jambutu and Saminaka communities have submerged with the surrounding farmlands.

The situation made affected residents to make frantic effort to save their properties including household, furniture, utensils, foodstuff and vehicles.
Some residents who spoke in an interview, appealed to government to find a lasting solution to recurring and worsening flood of affected areas.
Mallam Aminu, a resident affected by the flood, blamed the incident on those who built houses across waterways adding that the embankment meant for Chouchi Irrigation project should be dismantled as it is disrupting flow of water down to the river Benue from the hills behind Bole.
He alledged that there is connivance between some ward and village heads in the affected areas with some government officials to sale plots indiscriminately, while developers build on such plots haphazardly with no regards to town planning laws and master plan.
Mallam Aminu therefore appealed to government to intervene by dedging chouchi river and providing drainages in some of the affected wards.
Sale Alhaji Bukar, who owns two shops and a farm near the timber market along Jimeta-Yola road, said the loss he incurred as a result of the flood, cannot be quantified.
He added that in one of the shops, there were bags of fertilizer while his farm was completely submerged.
Mallam Sale, appealed to government to assist the victims and take serious action to properly channel the rain water flowing from the hills behind Bole down to the River Benue.
ABC correspondent who visited some of the affected areas, reports that some garages were also submerged while residents are counting their loss.
Jimeta-Yola and environs in the early hours of Wednesday recorded a heavy downpour.