Nasarawa Floods: Government To Relocate Communities As Victims Recount Losses

The Nasarawa State Government has announced plans to relocate flood-prone riverine communities to higher ground as victims of recent flooding in Doma Local Government Area count their losses and await relief materials.

More than a week after the floods killed two people and displaced over 4,000 others across 11 communities, many victims remain in neighbouring upland settlements without adequate food, clean water and medical supplies, LEADERSHIP reports.

The affected communities are Olegokemi, Obendo, Achebe, Olegopa, Oguatema, Ijiwo, Taliga, Otia, Otiageke, Otiagiso, Olegambulu and Anaguga.

The director-general of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Barrister Ben Akwash, said the government was planning to establish safer settlements for riverine communities, beginning with Umasha in Toto Local Government Area.

The proposed settlements, being championed by the Ministry of Environment, would include basic amenities and storage facilities for valuables and foodstuffs. Construction is expected to begin after the rainy season.

“We have concluded arrangements. We’re only waiting for the rains to recede. By the next rainy season, God willing, it will be a different ball game,” Akwash said.

However, victims of the latest disaster say their immediate needs remain unmet as they struggle to rebuild their lives.

In Ijiwo, 60-year-old widow Mrs Emun Agaba Enah said she had lost her livestock, chickens and farmlands, leaving her unable to provide for her children and six grandchildren.

“Where do you think I should run to with six grandchildren and four of my own children?” she asked.

Mr Ngbede said 34 other widows in the community had lost their livelihoods, while eight houses were completely washed away.

Seventy-year-old Esther Achi, who could not flee when the flood reached Otariga, described the disaster as one of the worst in the area.

“I’m old enough to die. Some of us can no longer run from this,” she said, pointing to the partly collapsed house of one of her sons.

The lawmaker representing Doma South in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, urged the government to provide immediate relief, warning that shortages of clean water, food and medical supplies could trigger cholera and other waterborne diseases.

“The people have lost their source of livelihood; the source of their drinking water is gone. Farmlands have been washed away, and all the drainages are silted,” he said during a motion on the disaster.

Some residents and the lawmaker blamed the flooding on water released from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. However, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) dismissed reports of a release on August 30, 2026, saying the dam was impounding water.

NiHSA Director-General Umar Mohammed attributed flooding in the Benue River Basin to intense or prolonged rainfall, poor drainage, improper waste disposal and unauthorised construction.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Ogiri of Olegopa, who was displaced with six family members, said victims were still waiting for promised assistance despite visits by government officials, non-governmental organisations and emergency agencies.

“They only said they would come back, but they are yet to return,” he said.

Ogiri said he had returned to rebuild two of the four family houses destroyed by the flood. He added that schools and public infrastructure across the affected communities had also suffered damage.

He said residents needed alternative land and government assistance to relocate safely.

“If today government is able to allocate a parcel of land with support in terms of items that will enable us to put up a shelter upland, why not?” he asked.

Raymond Achi of Obendo community said residents had repeatedly appealed for relocation but had received no response.

On the delay in delivering relief materials, Akwash said the government had procured supplies but was struggling to transport them because roads to the affected communities were flooded.

He said the route through Doma was difficult to navigate, while the alternative through Makurdi, Benue State, required boats to reach some communities.

“We are looking to use several Hilux vehicles. By tomorrow, we would have taken the relief materials,” he assured.

Akwash added that NSEMA’s relief stocks had been depleted earlier in the year following interventions in other flood-affected areas.

The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danladi Jatau, urged the government to provide relief materials and deploy health workers to prevent disease outbreaks. He also called for collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to secure additional assistance.

Jatau directed the Assembly’s Committees on Environment and Humanitarian Services to visit the affected communities and submit their findings within one week.

The absence of official displacement camps has further worsened victims’ plight. Many are staying with relatives and residents of unaffected upland communities.

“Victims are scattered and not in one place,” said Sunday Ijiwo, a resident of Ijiwo.

Akwash confirmed that no official camp had been established, explaining that the disaster occurred suddenly. He said displaced residents were sheltering in places of worship, schools and host communities.

Meanwhile, Ngbede said worsening living conditions were forcing some victims to return to their flood-ravaged homes despite the risk of disease outbreaks.