The Niger State Government has issued an urgent directive to communities living downstream of the Shiroro, Jebba, Kainji, and Zungeru hydroelectric dams to relocate immediately, following notifications that the facilities are set to discharge excess water.

The warning, communicated through the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), comes after dam authorities alerted that the discharge of water could trigger catastrophic flooding across several riverine communities in the state.

In a statement released in Minna, NSEMA Director General, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, cautioned that the volume of water to be released — running into thousands of gallons per minute — could lead to an overflow of Rivers Niger and Kaduna, posing grave risks to lives and property.

“We are advising our communities to limit activities around river banks during this peak rainy season and relocate to safer grounds already identified,” Arah declared.

He added that the Nigerian Hydrological Services had also warned that people living along Rivers Niger and Kaduna should urgently move to safer areas to avoid being caught in the expected flooding.

The NSEMA boss further disclosed that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted that the end of the rainy season will be accompanied by violent windstorms, urging residents to avoid sheltering under trees during rainfall and to stay away from weak or substandard structures.

Already, several parts of Niger State have begun to feel the impact of flooding, with reports of houses, farmlands, bridges, and roads washed away. Some local government areas, including Lavun, Magama, Rafi, Kontagora, Gbako, Mokwa, Lapai, Katcha, Agaie, Suleja, Shiroro, Mashegu, Agwara, Bida, Edati, Munya, Bosso, Chanchaga, Paikoro, and Wushishi, have been severely affected.

The disaster has also displaced many residents and disrupted socio-economic activities. Although Alhaji Arah confirmed that lives have been lost, he did not provide specific figures.

The state government has therefore appealed to residents in high-risk communities to heed relocation directives to prevent further tragedies as water discharge from the dams begins. (Vanguard)