3-year-old boy dies, 100 houses destroyed as flood wrecks havoc in Gombe community

A 3-year-old boy has died following a heavy downpour that wreaked havoc in Bajoga town in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State. 

The rain that lasted for over five hours at the weekend resulted in heavy flooding that led to the collapse of one of the walls of the room where the child and his two-year-old sibling were sleeping in ‘Unguwar Fada,’ near the Emir’s Palace. 

Remains of the deceased have since been buried according to Islamic rites, while his critically injured younger brother was rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Gombe for treatment.

Several other residents that sustained various degrees of injuries were receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Bajoga and other medical facilities.

 A resident of Bajoga, Yahaya Haruna, told Daily Trust that the rainfall started at around 5:30am and lasted until about 11am, during which several people got injured while over 100 houses, many livestock and property worth millions of naira were also destroyed, mostly in Shara-Mansur and Bodoriyel areas of the town.

Head of Rescue of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammad Garba, who confirmed the incident, said they were still in Bajoga “Accessing the situation to ascertain the casualty figures and the actual number of houses, livestock and property destroyed by the flood.”

Meanwhile, Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family of a boy who lost his life as a result of the flood. 

In a statement by his spokesman, Ismaila Uba Misilli, the governor assured of his administration’s commitment to assist the affected families and urged people of the state to heed flash flood warnings, “and avoid flood-prone areas as a preventive measure.”

The Governor also sympathized with all those who sustained injuries or lost their properties and other material resources.

The governor directed the State Ministry of Environment, Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the local authorities to immediately move in, assess the level of devastation in the affected areas such as Shara-Massur as well as provide succor to the victims to cushion the effect of the disaster.

He assured of his administration’s commitment towards the wellbeing of the citizenry, adding that government will offer assistance to minimize the suffering of the affected persons.

The Governor however urged the people to heed to flash flood warnings, and avoid flood-prone areas as a preventive measure.