Author: AbdulRahman Tahir, Maiduguri

THE Borno State Ministry of Health has declared a cholera outbreak in the state. The commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof Baba Gana while declaring the outbreak at the eye center in Maiduguri, said out of the two hundred samples sent for testing, seventeen returned positive. According to him, the outbreak is a result of the recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the state. The prof named Jere, Mafa, Konduga, Dikwa and MMC local government areas with the recorded outbreak. He said 451 suspected cases were reported from the various LGAs but only 17 were confirmed positive. The…

TROOPS of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) operating under Sector 3 deployed in Borno State have foiled a Boko Haram attack in the North-Eastern state. The Chief Military Information Officer MNJTF N’djamena, Chad, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. He said the troops, acting on credible intelligence, executed a tactical ambush, neutralizing the threat before the terrorists could wreak havoc on innocent civilians. “The troops having positioned themselves tactically along the terrorists’ path of movement, engaged the terrorists as they emerged from a forested area on motorcycles, using an alternative route,” the statement read.…

A “NOTORIOUS Boko Haram terrorist commander” has surrendered to troops in Borno State, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has said. The Chief Military Information Officer of the MNJTF Olaniyi Osoba in a Saturday statement described the move as a “significant development in the ongoing battle against terrorism in the Lake Chad region”. He said the “notorious Boko Haram terrorist identified as Bochu Abacha has surrendered to troops of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) deployed in Kukawa Local Government of Borno State”. Osoba said Bochu is a “key figure in several terrorist operations admitted to being a notorious Boko Haram…

YOUTH enthusiast and son of Nigeria’s president, Seyi Tinubu on Friday sympathised with the people of Borno State over the devastating flood that recently ravaged Maiduguri, the state capital. Tinubu who was accompanied by his brother, friends and associates made a huge donation worth over ₦500m on behalf of his friends and associates. While speaking, Seyi said that the visit was the first step towards contributing to ameliorating the current difficult situation of the young people affected by the flood. He assured that the intervention would continue until Borno State especially Maiduguri saw the light again. Recall that President Bola…

THE University of Maiduguri is set to resume academic activities on Monday after it was shut down due to the devastating flood that rocked the city over a week ago. The registrar of the institution Ahmad Lawan disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. “I write to inform all staff and students that the university. Management has approved the resumption of lectures and office duties with effect from Monday 23rd September 2024,” the statement read in part. Academic activities are set to resume after the flood water has receded and the situation in the state has improved. Lawan added: “This…

THE Borno State government has given an update on the pledges and actual donations from corporate entities, state governments, state and national assembly members, individuals, and non-governmental organisations for the victims of the recent flood in Maiduguri. Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, which serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast, in one of the worst ever floods in Africa’s most populous country. Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria. In…

ELDER stateman and business mogul, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, has donated N1.5 billion to victims of the flood which ravaged parts of Maiduguri, Borno state capital. Dantata made the donation when he led a delegation from Kano to Government House, Maiduguri, on Tuesday. He extended his heartfelt condolences to Governor Babagana Zulum, the government and the people of the state, especially those who lost their beloved ones to the flood. Dantata, 96, who lamented how the deterioration of the economy in the country, urged the elites and political leaders to repent and fear Allah in their dealing. He also prayed…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday announced a disaster relief fund in Maiduguri, Borno State, to assist Nigerian citizens impacted by floods and other disasters. He said the relief fund is already expedient as the climate becomes more unpredictable and many places in the country are vulnerable to its vagaries. Tinubu announced this at the Borno Government House when he visited the state to sympathise with the government and people over the recent flooding from Alau Dam. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed this in a statement, said that Tinubu urged the private…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent flood disaster. In the North East state, the President, who arrived in Abuja on Sunday night from London, would evaluate the impact of the flood on residential houses, hospitals, markets, schools, and other public facilities. The president, who returned to the country last night after trips to UAE, China and UK, arrived at the Air Force Base in Borno, at exactly 3:20pm. In a video seen by our correspondent on X, the president’s aircraft landed at…

OFFICIALS from the United Nations and humanitarian organisations have visited Maiduguri over the devastating floods ravaging the area. The team, comprising of international and national Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), was led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall. They arrived in the Borno State capital on Saturday on an assessment visit over the Alau Dam flood disaster. This was disclosed in a press release to journalists on Sunday by the National Information Officer of the UN Information Centre, Oluseyi Soremekun. Soremekun said the team met with affected residents, government officials, and Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to…

BORNO State government has established a dedicated relief fund that can provide urgent assistance to those affected by the recent flooding within Maiduguri and its environs. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Abdurrahman Ahmed Bundi, said the government aims to mobilise support from citizens, organisations, and international partners to alleviate the suffering of flood victims and facilitate their recovery. “The recent floods have caused significant destruction, displacement of families and damage to vital infrastructure. “Faced with this humanitarian crisis; Borno State Government calls on all individuals and groups to contribute to the newly created flood relief…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that the widely reported flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State is beginning to recede, and normalcy is returning to the metropolis. Director General, NEMA, Zubaida Umar revealed this in a statement on Thursday, while giving an update on the current situation in the worst flooding occurrence in the history of Nigeria. She said, “Though our work is far from being done and our round-the-clock emergency response, monitoring, and assessment continues, it’s important to provide some updates. “First is the relieving observation that the flood level in Maiduguri is receding, and normalcy is beginning…

SURVIVORS of the Maiduguri flood, the worst in three decades, have narrated their harrowing experiences before they were rescued. The heavy rainfall, which began Monday night had ruptured the Alau Dam in the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and flooded residential areas and public buildings, including hospitals and schools. Those taken to safety thanked God for saving their lives, but said many families are still trapped in hard to reach locations. Our correspondents report that search and rescue teams have intensified operations at various locations as the flood waters continue to recede. Survivors of the Maiduguri flood, the…

THOUSANDS of families trapped in Maiduguri flooded areas are being evacuated to safer areas by the military, volunteers and other security agencies. Visiting the most affected areas in Maiduguri, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, toured through the Customs area where the broken prison is located. While on the tour, dead bodies were also being evacuated. Trapped persons were also being evacuated by the military, security agencies and civilian volunteers. Although some flooded areas of Maiduguri have receded, badly affected areas like Gamboru Market, Kasuwan Shanu, Custom Area, Fori, and Abbaganaram are actively flooded. The premises of the Nigerian prisons…

AT least 286 inmates have reportedly escaped from the Maiduguri medium security custodial centre following severe flooding in the capital city on Tuesday. Already, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is in Maiduguri to assess the flood’s impact on the facility. Nevertheless, a statement from the spokesman for the service, Umar Abubakar disclosed that the federal government is working to evacuate the correctional centre. Umar assured the public that the service is working with sister security agencies to take the necessary measures to ensure public safety. The Federal Government has also begun the evacuation of residents of the affected communities…

THE Federal Government has begun the evacuation of residents of the affected communities in the flooding that has ravaged Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. A statement by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday, said it is also working on the provision of food, shelter and medical assistance for the victims. NEMA also confirmed that over 200,000 people were displaced. An unspecified number of people, including children are still missing. Many properties including, houses, farmlands and business places have also been destroyed. The residents, most of who are from Jere Local Government Area, have been forced to vacate…

VICE President Kashim Shettima says, despite preparations, the severity of the floods in Maiduguri is most catastrophic in over three decades in the state capital Shettima stated this on Tuesday during an on-the-spot assessment of the ravaging floods, in Maiduguri, Borno State. He said the impacts of the floods exceeded estimation, but assured that the Federal Government would prioritise the welfare of the affected communities. President Bola Tinubu had directed Shettima to, immediately, visit Maiduguri, to assess the devastating flood in the state capital. “The flood’s unprecedented scale has presented challenges beyond our previous experiences. “The disaster serves as a…

MAJOR roads, houses, and shops in Maiduguri metropolis, the Borno State capital, and parts of the Jere Local Government Area have been submerged by floodwaters. The Shehu’s Palace, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo were some of the public infrastructure submerged by flood. A prison wall located along the Custom area was broken by flood as some inmates allegedly drowned while several others escaped for their lives. Major roads within the state capital including the Post-Office Roundabout which links major locations in the capital are flooded thereby cutting off vehicular movement within the metropolis. The…

THE collapse of Alau Dam that has been allegedly filled to capacity for the past one week is the cause of the flood in Borno State. This newspaper had reported how thousands of residents fled their homes following a devastating flood in parts of Maiduguri, Borno state capital. The last time the dam had such a problem was in 1994, resulting in unprecedented flooding in Maiduguri when almost half of the town was flooded. In a statement in the early hours of Tuesday by Prof. Usman Tar, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, titled “Flooding Alert for River Bank…

THERE was heightened panic as the Forestry and Wild Life in Borno Ministry of Environment says a herd of elephants that allegedly strayed from the neighbouring Cameroon has invaded and destroyed some community farmlands in the state. A Director in the ministry, Mr Ayuba Peter, confirmed the ugly incident in an interview with this newspaper in Maiduguri on Monday. Peter said the incident had become perennial in the last five years in the area. “We have been having reports of elephants destroying farmlands in Gamboru/Ngala and Kala-Balge Local Government Areas (LGAs) for the past five years. “They use to come…