612 People Killed in Floods Across Nigeria

On Tuesday, the Nigerian government said that 612 citizens have died and 3,219,780 people have been adversely impacted as a result of flooding in the country since the beginning of the rainy season this year.

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The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq confirmed this in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, at a media briefing to keep the public abreast of the response and interventions made so far by the ministry and the National Emergency Management Agency on the flood situation across the country.

The minister said 1,427,370 people have been displaced and 2,776 people injured as a result of the flooding in some parts of the country as of Monday, adding that 181,600 houses were partially damaged and another 123,807 houses were totally damaged.

According to her, 176,852 hectares of farmland were partially damaged, while 392,399 hectares of farmland were totally damaged.

The Minister said that the distribution of relief items to 21 states affected by the floods and stressed that the distribution of food and non-food items to other states was already ongoing.

"While specialized teams are on the ground, there are still some states and local governments that are inaccessible and hard to reach," said Farouq, adding the ministry is working with the military and other stakeholders with specialized skills and equipment to ensure means to reach hard-to-reach areas.

The search and rescue workers have been on their toes since the flooding started and have continued to evacuate, relocate and refer victims to hospitals for immediate care. Floods have so far wreaked havoc in at least 31 states and the Abuja Federal Capital Territory this year.