Opened flood gates at dams in northern Nigeria displace 2 million people

Opened flood gates in Nigeria displace 2 million

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian authorities opened the gates at two swollen dams Friday in the country’s rain-soaked north, sending a flood into a neighboring state that has displaced 2 million people.

The torrent of water from the Challawa and Tiga dams swept through rural Jigawa state, bordering the nation of Niger, said Umar Kyari, a spokesman for the state governor. Kyari said the rushing waters affected about 5,000 villages in the typically arid region approaching the Sahara Desert.

“They released water indiscriminately,” Kyari said. “That’s what why the water flows.”

Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of 150 million in West African, typically has strong seasonal rains that wash through the country. However, this year has seen particularly strong rains that already broke a dam and flowed over levees in another northern state.

State information commissioner Aminu Mohammed said local officials had begun putting displaced families in rural schoolhouses and other government buildings out of the reach of the floodwaters. However, Mohammed said the water had coursed across to the border with neighboring Yobe state.

“The flood has washed away all the farms and houses,” Mohammed said.