A devastating windstorm has swept through several communities in Niger State, destroying more than 1,000 houses and leaving scores of residents displaced across multiple local government areas.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director-General, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who said the disaster affected communities in Mokwa, Bida, and other parts of the state.
According to Baba-Arah, the agency has commenced a rapid assessment of the affected areas in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and local government authorities to determine the full extent of the destruction and the humanitarian needs of victims.
He said preliminary findings showed that over 1,000 houses were either destroyed or severely damaged in communities across Mokwa Local Government Area, including Sawmill, Kpege Wayata, Kpege, Station Girigi, Efu Shaba Lile, Tifin Madza, Yafu, Etisheshi, Hakimi Aliyu, and Nasfat.
In Bida Local Government Area, the windstorm also caused significant damage in several wards, including Cheniyan, Nasarafu, Bariki, Kyari, Dokoza, Masaga A, and Masaga B.
Baba-Arah further disclosed that similar incidents were recorded in Lavun, Katcha, Gbako, and Mariga local government areas, noting that more than 100 houses had earlier been reported destroyed in Durgu community under Bobi Ward in Mariga Local Government Area.
He said emergency officials are currently carrying out detailed assessments to establish the scale of the disaster and identify urgent relief needs for affected residents.
The latest incident adds to a growing list of weather-related disasters across the country. In February, more than 2,000 residents were displaced after a wind and rainstorm destroyed at least 179 houses in three communities in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.
