Some houses along the bank of River Niger in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, have been flooded following excess discharge of water from the river between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited some of the affected houses at Kpata, Adankolo and Gadumo areas of Lokoja, reports that no life was lost to the flooding, it was, however, gathered that some personal property worth millions of naira were submerged by the flood.
Some affected residents said they woke up on Thursday to discover that their houses had been flooded, a development they attributed to excess discharge of water from the River Niger.
They explained that the water level had increased tremendously and expressed fears that the river might eventually overrun the entire houses on its bank.
Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, a landlord in one of the affected houses in Adankolo area, explained that he moved into his eight-room building in last year and has been living peacefully with his three wives and 11 children until the recent flooding problem.
Ibrahim, who was seen moving out his family and property from the house, said that all the eight rooms were flooded and he would not take the risk of sleeping in the house any longer.
Musa Hayatu, a tenant in the area, said that he had relocated his wife and child to another house in the town as a result of the flood and had no intention of returning to the house.
Another landlord, Hussein Bawa, who owns a two-bedroom apartment located on Hausa Street in Adankolo, said a relation had offered him a one-room as a temporary abode, but that he would consider returning to the house when the water level drops.
Sule Alli, who claimed to have been living in his house located on the river bank since 1996, said that the last time the area experienced flooding was in 2008.
Alli, who stated that he was born and bred in the area, however, said that the high water level was not enough to send him packing out of his house, more so as he had nowhere to run to.
Some tenants said that they had started moving out of the houses and expressed the fear that the flooding may further spread inward.
