Zamfara banditry victims touched by floods

Floodwaters have displaced dozens of residents in parts of Zurmi, the headquarters of Zurmi Local Government Area, as well as Gusau Metropolis, the Zamfara State capital, Caliphate Trust reports. The floods occurred after hours of heavy downpour, causing dozens of houses to submerge. Some of the affected residents are taking shelter in the houses of […]

Floodwaters have displaced dozens of residents in parts of Zurmi, the headquarters of Zurmi Local Government Area, as well as Gusau Metropolis, the Zamfara State capital, Caliphate Trust reports.

The floods occurred after hours of heavy downpour, causing dozens of houses to submerge.

Some of the affected residents are taking shelter in the houses of relatives.

In Zurmi Town, houses in areas such as ‘Yar Korama, Katanga, Gurkundu and ‘Yar Kofa were washed away by the floods and dozens of silos were destroyed thereby leaving the affected residents without food.

Some of the victims, our correspondent learnt, are residents who fled armed banditry in the rural communities and decided to settle in the “more secured” Zurmi Town.

The victims built mud houses and when the floods came, the structures collapsed and were submerged.

The residents said their displacement and the resultant effects had compounded the woes of those displaced by the activities of armed bandits in some communities of the local government area.

A victim, Isah Abdullahi, said, “There were residents that were accommodating those displaced by bandits around the area of Rukudawa. They were being harboured in houses of relatives but suddenly the floods knocked at our doors.”

Abdullahi added that, “I asked my wife to carry our kids to my in-laws house for temporary shelter. As head of the family, I’m currently sleeping in a friend’s house. I’m thinking of how to secure a more befitting accommodation.”

Another displaced resident, Aliyu Ibrahim, said some of his belongings were washed away by the floods, adding that he encountered difficulty in getting accommodation because his brothers were already sheltering those that fled armed banditry.

Ibrahim said, “I’m waiting for the floodwaters to subside so that I go back to my house and assess the extent of the damage. Some of the fences have already collapsed. If I find out that rebuilding them from the scratch will be a cumbersome process, I will rather stay in a makeshift structure temporarily.”

Meanwhile, Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle has directed the Directorate of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs to immediately visit the area and assess the level of damage in order to give immediate assistance to the affected communities.

Gov. Matawalle assured that relief materials would soon be provided to all the affected communities as soon as government received the report of the damage so as to reduce the suffering of the victims.

The governor also called on the people to clear waterways, including drains and culverts for free flow of water.