Shower Of Blessings Becomes Flood Of Misery In Niger Communities

ABU NMODU writes that the residents of some Niger state communities are still counting their losses days after rain came with a promise that left them in pain

Every early rain in Niger state usually comes with a windstorm, but the devastating Windstorm that occurred recently has not been experienced in the state in recent years. The windstorm, accompanied by light rain, killed a 3-year-old  child, Afnan, destroyed houses, public buildings and facilities.

It was confirmed that over 1000 buildings were destroyed, and the worst hit communities were in Mokwa and Bida local government areas; in  Mokwa, buildings in  communities like Sawmill, Kpege Wayata, Kpege Station Girigi, Efu Shaba Lile, Tifin Madza, Yafu, Etisheshi, Hakimi Aliyu and Nasfat areas were heavily swept by the Windstorm

In Bida,  the affected communities include Cheniyan, Nasarafu, Bariki, Kyari, Dokoza, Masaga A, and Masaga B, as well as the buildings of the famous Government College Bida, which were destroyed.

The most sordid of the misfortunes of the windstorm was the death of a three-year-old girl, called Afnan,  killed by the windstorm. She was killed when the windstorm cleared the roof of their bedroom, where she was sleeping with her Mother and other siblings.

It was learnt that the windstorm not only pulled off their roof but also caused the building to collapse.

LEADERSHIP  Sunday gathered that the room they were sleeping in collapsed on the Mother and her five children. Unfortunately, the three-year-old Afnan died, and the Mother, as well as the other four siblings, sustained injuries.

It was learnt that based on the degree of their injuries, they were taken out of Mokwa for better medical care, but neighbours who spoke to our correspondent said the incident was heartbreaking for the family, especially since it occurred when the husband and father were not around.

Neighbours narrated that the woman, identified as Mama Halima, apart from losing her child, also had leg fractures, while the other four children sustained various degrees of injuries.  A neighbour whose house was also swept by the Windstorm Sali Ibrahim said: ” By the time we took them to the hospital, they could barely walk. At the time we were trying to rescue them,  the dead girl was alive. It was when we were rushing her to the hospital that he gave up the ghost”.

” We struggled to save them; the entire building fell on them, maybe because they were sleeping. The incident occurred around 11. 30 pm, everybody was asleep, but in their own case,   the building walls fell on them. Unfortunately, the father travelled to Kiama,  Kwara State, for work,”  Sali added.

He said that, based on the intervention of some government officials, they have been transferred to an undisclosed tertiary healthcare facility because of the degree of injury

Another Resident of Mokwa , Idris Mohammed, narrated their ordeal as the Windstorm struck barely a year after the flood washed away people and buildings in the same Mokwa local government.

He said, “We are yet to recover from the loss of lives and destruction caused by floods last year, and this year, before the rain starts, we will suffer another huge loss caused by the Windstorm”.

“My house and that of neighbours were swept by the Windstorm, the clouds were forming about 10.30 pm to 11 pm that fateful day, we thought respite had come with rain, as the heat was becoming unbearable, unknowingly to us, it was coming with the Windstorm that apparently took us aback”,  he added.

Mohammed said, ” The Windstorm Destroyed my house, the fence of my house, and the entire house was destroyed. I had to move out to stay with my neighbour.”

Another victim, Aisha Ibrahim, said,  “When the sky was changing naturally,  my three youngest children and I went inside expecting rain, and later the roof of our building started peeling off like paper as the Windstorm pulled it out.”

“Before we knew what was happening, we were already sitting hopelessly  looking at the ruins of our  houses, we were scampering  for a cover over our heads”, she said

From Sawmill to Nasfat, Kpege Wayata to Hakimi Aliyu, the storm left a trail of collapsed walls, twisted zinc sheets, and now the family members sleep under trees.

Another resident of Mokwa whose house was affected was a 60-year-old Alhaji Suleiman of Girigi in Mokwa. He said the pain of losing his house to the Windstorm was emotionally draining. “Every night after the incident, I watched my grandchildren always asking me where they would sleep, because at present we don’t have a roof over our heads”.

The Director General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, said the agency has begun a rapid assessment  of the windstorm disaster .he said preliminary reports indicated  that ” over  1,000 houses were destroyed and severely damaged”

“The communities affected in Mokwa were in Sawmill, Kpege Wayata, Kpege, Station Girigi, Efu Shaba Lile, Tifin Madza, Yafu, Etisheshi, Hakimi Aliyu and Nasfat areas. In Bida LGA, affected wards include Cheniyan, Nasarafu, Bariki, Kyari, Dokoza, Masaga A and Masaga B.

In addition, windstorm incidents were also recorded in Lavun, Katcha, Gbako and Mariga Local Government Areas, where over 100 houses were earlier reported destroyed in Durgu Community under Bobi Ward of Mariga. He provided comprehensive details about the various communities affected by the Windstorm.

According to him, “NSEMA, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and local Government authorities, is currently conducting detailed assessments to determine the full extent of damages and humanitarian needs of affected victims. Further updates will be provided as assessments continue”

Similarly, the Chairman of Mokwa local government area, which was worst hit by the Windstorm, Jibrin Abdullahi Muregi, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that assessment was ongoing to ascertain the level of destruction and determine how to assist the people.

He said until the assessment was done, the council would not be able to quantify the extent of damage, but stated that property worth millions of Naira was destroyed.