UN team visits Maiduguri, seeks urgent support for flood victims

The team, which included both international and national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), was led by Mohamed Fall, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria.

The delegation arrived in Borno State’s capital yesterday evaluate the damage caused by the Alau Dam flood.

This visit was confirmed in a press release issued today by Oluseyi Soremekun, National Information Officer of the UN Information Centre.

Soremekun noted that the team met with affected residents, government officials, and the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to assess the situation and determine immediate relief measures.

“The flood-affected communities are facing a crisis within a crisis, as these floods have hit during an ongoing food insecurity and malnutrition crisis,” Fall said.

“I witnessed firsthand the destruction of homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and the suffering of the affected communities.”

The delegation pledged rapid action to ease the plight of displaced families, promising the delivery of food, clean water, sanitation, and shelter.

They highlighted that many of those affected by the floods, reported to be the worst in 30 years, had already been displaced multiple times due to conflict and insecurity, leaving them even more vulnerable.

Over one million people have been displaced by the floods in and around Maiduguri, which is the central hub for humanitarian efforts in northeastern Nigeria.

The flooding, among the worst in the country’s history, was as a result of the bursting of a dam after a weekend of torrential rains.

The director general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Barkindo Mohammed, stated that the number of displaced individuals could exceed one million.

One tragic case involved Mohammed Sheriff, 60, who, along with his family, attempted to escape the rising waters. While he and his wife were able to save six of their children, their two eldest, aged 11 and 13, remain missing. “We haven’t seen them since, and we fear the worst,” Sheriff said.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported on Wednesday that at least 30 people have lost their lives in the floods, which the UN Refugee Agency described as the worst in three decades.

The director general of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, shared on X (formerly Twitter) that floodwaters in Maiduguri have begun to recede, and normalcy is gradually returning.

However, British charity Save the Children warned on Friday that many families and children remain trapped, and damage to water and sanitation services has heightened the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

The World Food Programme (WFP) expressed concern that the floods will exacerbate food insecurity in the already vulnerable northeast.

Since the start of the rainy season, at least 259 people have died from flooding across Nigeria, according to NEMA’s latest reports.