Kogi state government says it has opened 42 internally displaced persons (IDP) camps as floods submerge five communities in Ibaji and Kogi local government areas of the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Mouktar Atima, disclosed this during an advocacy visit to the state health commissioner, Dr. Adams Abdulazeez, in Lokoja on Tuesday.
Atima warned communities along the river bank to immediately relocate to safer grounds, adding that the state was no longer safe owing to the rising levels of the waters in the Rivers Niger and Benue.
“258 communities in eight local government areas of the state have been marked as flood-prone areas while 42 IDP camps have been constructed to take care of those to be displaced while an emergency operations centre has been opened.
“Already, five communities in Ibaji local government area were worst hit including Ota, Ofogbo, Itima and Owara community in Kogi local government area of the state,” he said.
Atima said experts and dam managers have warned that excessive water would flow into the Rivers Niger and Benue, which could worsen flooding in the state.
He praised the health commissioner for proactive measures that ensured zero casualties during last year’s flood disaster.
In his remarks, Abdulazeez said the ministry had already begun fumigation of all IDP camps in preparation for possible disease outbreaks.
“My ministry is aware that there may be outbreak of diseases or epidemic in the various IDP camps and we are fully prepared,” he said.
The commissioner said personnel and materials have been mobilised to provide care for victims of the floods.
He commended Governor Usman Ododo for his commitment to health issues, attributing last year’s zero casualty record to his interventions.
“It was indeed his quick intervention that averted loss of lives in last year’s flood, while many states recorded loss of lives, Kogi recorded additional lives as two women in the IDP gave birth to twins,” Abdulazeez said.
