Following the water release from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, no less than twenty-five towns along the banks of the River Niger in Edo State were completely inundated by floodwaters.

The communities of Etsako Central, Etsako East, and Esan South East are impacted.

Christopher Ojimah, the Desk Officer for Relief Materials and Distribution for the Esan South East Local Government, verified the villages’ submersion on Monday.

According to Ojimah, the Emergency Committee’s Local Government Secretary, there are already enough displaced people living in the local government’s internally displaced camp.

According to him, several communities—particularly Ifeku—have had their cattle and property washed away and totally drowned.

“These three local government areas have experienced flooding as a result of the Lagdo Dam’s release of water, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and submerge their homes,” he stated.

“Some communities, like Ifeku, have had their animals washed away and are totally inundated, along with their houses. There are already enough people living in the IDP camp in Esan South East.

John Odaku, a local, said that their farmlands had been flooded and that they were not trying to save their cattle or crops.

“Our crops, including yam, cassava, and groundnuts, have been flooded, and farm produce that has already been harvested has been washed away,” he said.

“The water was higher this year than it was the previous, therefore we were unable to remove our possessions.

“Our livestock, crops, and farm products were carried away by the destructive flood, so we were unable to save them.”

He requested assistance from the Federal Government and the date, pointing out that the local government has been handling everything on its own.

In the meantime, in order to prevent casualties, the National Emergency Management Agency has ordered the residents to transfer to IDP camps.

Speaking on the issue, Dahiru Yusuf, the head of NEMA’s Benin operating office, stated that the organisation has been keeping an eye on the flood situation in coordination with other relevant parties, including state and local governments.

“Three local governments—Etsako Central, Etsako East, and Esan South East—are affected, and some communities have already been displaced,” he said.

“To evaluate their degree of readiness, we have visited every local government that is vulnerable to flooding. In the various local governments, the majority of the IDP camps are prepared for usage.