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States on high alert as Adamawa flood death toll rises

Published

6 months ago

July 28, 2025

Following the devastating flood that swept through parts of Adamawa State on Sunday, leaving dozens — many of them children — missing and hundreds displaced, other states across the country are scrambling to avert a similar catastrophe.

With floodwaters wreaking havoc in communities like Shagari Low Cost and Yolde Pate in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, the disaster has triggered widespread emergency response efforts nationwide. From Anambra and Sokoto to Gombe, Edo, Ogun, Bayelsa, and beyond, state governments are activating flood preparedness plans, clearing drainage channels, assessing dam stability, and intensifying public sensitisation campaigns as warnings from meteorological agencies signal a potentially severe flood season ahead.

The PUNCH learnt the torrential rain began around 1am and intensified through the early hours. By 3am, homes in the Shagari and Sabon Pegi areas were already collapsing as floodwaters surged through streets and into buildings.

Initial reports claimed two people died from the disaster with dozens of unconfirmed number of people, especially children, declared missing following the over six hours of downpour in parts.

Over 600 houses were washed away, according to some of the victims, who narrowly escaped death but were still searching for their family members.

As at the time of filing this report, reports indicate that at least eight people have been found dead.

According to HumAngle, a media platform committed to coverage of Africa’s conflict, humanitarian, and development issues, two children were swept away in Sapon Pegi. The victims bodies were recovered by the National Emergency Management Agency.

In Ibunu Abbas community, also known as Yola bypass, locals said NEMA officials pulled out six dead bodies, four of the bodies men who were said to be workers in a bakery while the other two were children found alongside a drainage system.

The bodies have been deposited at the morgue in the Moddibo Adamawa Teaching Hospital, Yola.

A tearful Abubakar Adamu, a resident of Sabon Pegi, said, “Many lives were lost, especially children. We’re still trying to confirm the exact number of casualties in this ugly disaster.”

When The PUNCH sought confirmation of the death toll, the PPRO, Adamawa State Police Command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, said he could not give a definite number, adding that efforts were still ongoing to rescue more residents of the affected areas.

“The Adamawa State Police Command’s operatives deployed to the affected areas are still searching and rescuing the victims of the flooding,” Nguroje said.

“As law enforcement officers, we stand with full strength and solidarity with the affected communities during this difficult time.”

Following the devastating flooding in Mokwa that claimed several lives, NEMA last month deployed officials to 15 high-risk states, including Adamawa, to intensify public awareness on the looming flood threats and the urgent need for residents in vulnerable areas to relocate.

Just last week, the Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Celine Laori, issued a fresh warning to residents living in low-lying communities, urging them to move to higher ground to avoid loss of lives as flooding risks escalate.

Anambra constitutes committee

Ahead of the looming flood threats, Anambra State Government expressed its preparedness to respond effectively and strategically to flood-related emergencies by taking precautionary measures across the state to avert any disaster.

The state’s Commissioner for Environment, Dr Felix Odimegwu, made this known in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, stating that the state government had embarked on a campaign and sensitisation, in response to early warnings from NiMET indicating that Anambra was among the states at high risk of flooding during the rainy season.

Odimegwu said Governor Chukwuma Soludo had shown great concern to flood devastations in the state in the last three years and as a result, has constituted committees headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachi Ibezim.

According to him, the committees constitute officials of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education, local government chairmen, and the State Emergency Management Agency.

“The reason for constituting the committees is for us to strategise and put measures in place ahead of this year’s flooding, in case it occurs. The committees were formed since 2022 when flood devastated about nine local government areas of the state.

“After the first six months seasonal prediction by NiMet, we disseminated the information and notified residents, especially those living at the coastal areas about the upcoming rainfall and flooding consequences, and urged the general public to be absolutely careful and prepared for it.

“The state government has consistently sensitised the people to desist from blocking water channels and drainages in and around surroundings of their houses to pave way for easy flow of flooding. The blockage of water drainages is the root cause of man-made flooding.

“What we are doing is that whatever would cause flooding in the urban areas by man, we will try to prevent it. But if it is the flooding caused by river rising above the sea level, we will give warning to people living in the riverine areas to prepare on how to vacate.”

According to him, drainages and reservoirs such as Nkissi Reservoir in Onitsha, Ogboji Reservoir in Ogboji and Okpuru Okwor-Ngbo Reservoir have been upgraded to hold more flood waters.

One of our correspondents also gathered that officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, have embarked on sensitisation programme in two flood-prone local government areas: Anambra East and Ogbaru, as part of measures to prepare the people ahead of the 2025 flood.

Eight local government areas of the state namely, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Ogbaru, Idemili South, Awka North, Ihiala and Ekwusigo, are usually affected by the annual flood disaster.

Inspection in Edo

The Executive Director/CEO of the Edo State Flood, Erosion and Watershed Management Agency, Ahmed Momoh, said the government, through the agency, had fared well in the management of flood in the state after NiMET’s geria warning earlier in the year.

He said, “In a renewed effort to tackle the persistent challenge of erosion and flooding in Edo State, we embarked on a strategic inspection tour across critical gully erosion sites in Edo North. The visit underscores the agency’s unwavering commitment to identifying and addressing environmental degradation, especially in erosion-prone areas.

He said the agency was desilting drains and water passages in the state to reduce the effect of flooding.

He said, “FEWMA got approval from Governor Monday Okpebholo to desilt our drainages and water passages which has not been done as more rain this year in some states including Edo.

“We have desilted and freed drainages of debris and opened the way for water to flow and that will reduce the flooding.

“We are also looking at other measures that will curtail flooding and save Edo people who suffer from the devastating effect of the flood.

“There are camps already set up to relocate residents in highly flood prone areas like Ilushi, Udaba, Aghenebode, as a result of the River Niger overflowing.

“SEMA Edo State has arrangements to ensure that residents are also taken care of. The state government has already put up all the machinery to ameliorate the effect of flooding in the state.”

Bayelsa prepares buffers

Also, the Bayelsa State Government says it has prepared buffers against the anticipated flooding by carrying out the clearing of natural water channels in the capital, Yenagoa, and other parts of the state.

Bayelsa, lying six feet below sea level, is also the flood plain of Nigeria as both the Niger and Benue channel their waters into the Atlantic Ocean through the riverine state.

It has no dams and there are no permanent IDP camps as well as higher grounds hence any huge flood affects nearly all the local government areas of the state except the areas close to the Atlantic Ocean.

Bayelsa has established a flooding break for both public and private schools across the state and the vacated public schools are used as IDP camps for those displaced by floods.

Head, Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control, Walson Omusu, while reacting to the heavy rainfall on Sunday, said the state was prepared to ensure there was no devastating effects from flooding this year and beyond.

Due to the devastation caused by the 2012 floods, then governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, directed that all future public roads should be raised by another 12 inches.

After the 2022 floods that caused destruction, current governor, Senator Douye Diri, set up the Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control to mitigate the effects of flooding in the state.

And, Omusu, the pioneer head of the Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control said, “We are ready. We are always ready.”

Omusu said the agency had carried out massive clearing of natural water channels in Yenagoa and other areas in a bid to reduce the impact of this year’s flood.

Sokoto LGs assessment

In the wake of recent heavy rains that triggered severe flooding across parts of Sokoto State, SEMA, in collaboration with NEMA, has embarked on a joint impact assessments in the worst-hit local government areas: Yabo, Shagari, and Tureta.

In Yabo town, the joint team visited several flood-ravaged areas, including Shiyar Hegin-Rafi, Shiyar Sarkin Fawa, Shiyar Ubandoma, Shiyar Ubandawaki (Garkar Audu), and Kofar-bai.

At Shiyar Sarkin Fawa, six apartments belonging to Malam Rufa’i Bala were completely destroyed. In Shiyar Ubandawaki, two rooms belonging to Balan-Bawa Dankande suffered heavy damage, while five rooms owned by Malam Sabo Maikaji at Hegin Sarkin Fawa were affected.

One of the worst-hit families is that of Muhammadu Dan Nanuwa at Garkar Audu, where six of the eight rooms in their compound were washed away.

Similarly, at Kofar-bai, the 89-year-old Malam Bango Altine lost five rooms to the flood, leaving six family members temporarily sheltered by neighbors.

The residence of the Sarkin-Kabin Yabo also had its roof and ceiling severely damaged.

Also the flood in Shagari LGA, which occurred on July 24, impacted more than ten communities, including Lambara, Kambama, Mazoji, Jaredi, Shagari Town, Kajiji, Lokoko, Sanyin-Lawan, and Karoga.

Led by the Local Government Desk Officer, Ibrahim Abubakar, the assessment team reported widespread damage to houses and farmlands. In Illela-Chofal, a large expanse of farmland in Fadamar-Kangi was found to be completely submerged.

The situation in Tureta LG was equally devastating, with over 250 Internally Displaced Persons affected. Led by the Chairman of Tureta LG, Aliyu Abubakar, the assessment covered communities such as Inwala, Shiyar DanDile, and Lambar-Tureta.

The flood, which struck on July 23 and 25, destroyed numerous homes, including the residence of Federal Road Safety Corps officer Salisu Muhammad while two women sustained injuries from a wall collapse, though no fatalities were reported.

At Ala community, a house belonging to Malam Shehu Ala was completely destroyed by the July 23 flood. Preliminary findings identified poor drainage as a key factor behind the flooding in Lambar-Tureta.

Meanwhile, authorities from both SEMA and NEMA say detailed damage reports are being compiled to inform relief interventions and long-term mitigation efforts. Temporary shelters have already been provided in some affected communities, especially for displaced families and IDPs.

The agencies reiterated their commitment to supporting flood victims and working with local councils to prevent future disasters through improved urban planning and drainage infrastructure.

Imo prepare

Also, the Imo State Government, through the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Chika Abazu, held a flood preparedness planning committee meeting with representatives of key disaster management agencies.

Head of NEMA in Imo State, Nnamdi Igwe, said they resolved to form technical sub-committees to handle various components of the preparedness plan, such as logistics, health and sanitation, risk communication, and evacuation planning.

Igwe said key resolutions and action plans from the meeting are to immediately “begin a coordinated public awareness campaign in high-risk LGs, conduct joint assessment in identifying flood-prone areas in communities, preposition emergency supplies and resources across the state, activate Local Emergency Management Committees and ensure regular reporting, and that each intervention agency to submit a tailored contingency plan for harmonisation into the state’s master flood response plan.”

Those at the meeting were representatives from NEMA, Imo SEMA, Imo State Ministries of Environment and Health, National Orientation Agency, Nigerian Red Cross Society, National Inland Waterways Authority, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Local Government Emergency Officers, traditional leaders, and community-based organisations

NEMA had held sensitisation workshop in Owerri with other agencies, including the Federal Fire Service, who have trained divers to rescue trapped people in floods.

Ogun statewide sensitisation

The Ogun SEMA has begun campaign across the state to avert flooding. This move, according to a statement on Sunday, is in response to mitigating against flooding as recently predicted by NiMET.

Some of the places visited include Kuto, Amolasho, Gbangba and other locations in Abeokuta South Local Government Area.

Speaking during the sensitisation tour, acting Director, Ogun SEMA, Soji Durojaye, urged residents to take proactive measures against flooding, saying flood-prone communities in the state should be on alert.

Durojaye emphasised that government was committed to safeguarding lives and property, but residents must also play their part by adhering strictly to safety guidelines.

He said, “Indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels and illegal construction on waterways remain major causes of flooding, I am therefore appealing to community leaders and residents to help spread the message of environmental responsibility.

“NIMET had predicted heavy rainfall for the year, which could lead to flash floods in some areas, so, as residents, especially those living in flood-prone areas, we are to be vigilant and to consider relocating temporarily if the need arises.”

Durojaye also stressed the need for clearing blocked drainages and planting trees to reduce soil erosion.

He explained that flooding was not only caused by excessive rainfall but also by poor environmental practices adding that “if every household ensures proper waste disposal and clear their surroundings, the impact of flooding will be greatly reduced.”

While assuring residents of the government’s readiness to respond swiftly to emergencies, the OGSEMA director disclosed that emergency response teams had been placed on alert across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

He encouraged residents to report early signs of flooding or erosion to the agency through its dedicated emergency hotline, 112.

n their separate responses, a trader at Kuto, Mrs. Adetutu Mustapha and a resident of Amolasho, Mr. Samuel Adegboyega, appreciated the initiative and promised to adhere to the warnings.

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US Justice dept releases documents, images, videos from Epstein files

Published

6 hours ago

January 31, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The US Justice Department began releasing millions of new pages on Friday from the Jeffrey Epstein files along with photos and videos, adding fuel to the politically explosive case that has dogged President Donald Trump.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the White House played no role in the review of the extensive files related to the convicted sex offender, a former friend of Trump.

“They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact,” Blanche said at a press conference.

The Justice Department said some of the documents being released contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about the 79-year-old Trump submitted to the FBI before the 2020 presidential election.

But Blanche — who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer — dismissed suggestions that embarrassing material about the president had been redacted from the more than three million documents, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos being released on Friday.

“We did not protect President Trump,” he said. “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody.”

Blanche said all images of girls and women were being redacted aside from those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking underage girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

However, a statement by survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse claimed identifying information about them still remained in the files, “while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected.”

The letter signed by 19 individuals, some using aliases or initials, demanded “the full release of the Epstein files” and that Attorney General Pam Bondi directly address the matter when she testifies before Congress next month.

A wealthy US financier, Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls. His death was ruled a suicide.

Previous document releases have shed light on Epstein’s ties to top business executives such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates, celebrities such as filmmaker Woody Allen, academics and politicians, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton.

In a draft email among the documents published on Friday, Epstein said Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs, a claim the Gates Foundation denied in a statement to The New York Times.

“These claims — from a proven, disgruntled liar — are absolutely absurd and completely false,” it said.

In other emails, Epstein connected Steve Tisch, 76, producer of the movies “Forrest Gump” and “Risky Business” and the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, with multiple women.

In one exchange with Tisch, Epstein describes a woman as “russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun.”

– Conspiracy theories –

Trump’s right-wing base has long been obsessed by the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories that the financier oversaw a sex trafficking ring for the world’s elite.

Only one person — Epstein’s former girlfriend Maxwell — has ever been charged in connection with his crimes, and Blanche appeared to play down expectations that the latest files would lead to further prosecutions.

Trump and Clinton both figure prominently in the records published so far but neither has been accused of wrongdoing.

A Republican-led House panel voted recently to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its probe into Epstein.

Trump, who used to move in the same social circles as Epstein in Florida and New York, fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about the disgraced financier.

But a rebellion inside his Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the documents.

Trump has given varying accounts of why he eventually fell out with Epstein. He has criticized the file dumps, expressing concern that people who “innocently met” Epstein over the years risked having their reputations smeared.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act called for all of the documents held by the Justice Department to be published by December 19.

Blanche said Friday’s release “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people.”

He blamed the delay on the need to painstakingly carry out redactions that protected the identities of Epstein’s more than 1,000 alleged victims.

AFP

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Venezuelan interim president announces proposal for mass amnesty

Published

7 hours ago

January 31, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Venezuela’s acting president announced on Friday a proposal for mass amnesty in the country, in her latest major reform since the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro just weeks ago.

Delcy Rodriguez, in a speech at the Venezuelan Supreme Court attended by top government officials, said she will propose a “general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present.”

Leftist revolutionary Hugo Chavez assumed the presidency in 1999, and was succeeded upon his death in 2013 by Maduro, who oversaw an increasingly authoritarian government and whose two re-elections were widely dismissed as fraudulent.

“This law will serve to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, fueled by violence and extremism. It will allow us to put justice back on track in our country,” Rodriguez said, also announcing a “major national consultation for a new judicial system.”

She also announced plans to close the notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where rights groups say political prisoners were tortured by Maduro’s intelligence services.

The massive facility, originally built as a shopping mall, will be turned into a “sports, cultural and commercial center for police families and neighboring communities,” Rodriguez said.

A mother interviewed by AFP near El Helicoide was overjoyed that her son, imprisoned inside, may soon be released under the law.

“It’s wonderful! I haven’t heard from my son in six months, so, damn it, this is a huge joy, it’s an amnesty, my God, it’s total liberation,” said Betsy Orellana, 63.

– Wary opposition –

Formerly Maduro’s vice president, Rodriguez, 56, has quickly moved in less than four weeks in power to overhaul Venezuelan society in ways sought by the United States, earning high praise from US President Donald Trump.

Along with her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, she has passed a new law opening up the country’s critical oil sector to private investments — a key demand of Trump.

The move on Thursday was almost immediately followed by a rollback on US sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil industry.

The government also agreed on January 8, five days after Maduro was seized in a deadly US military operation, to free inmates considered political prisoners by rights groups.

Families — many of whom began camping outside the prisons — and rights groups have criticized the slow pace of the releases, with the Foro Penal NGO counting less than 300 in total released since January 8.

Opposition figures in Venezuela have voiced reserved optimism at the changes taking place, wary that Maduro’s closest allies still remain in power.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said Friday that Rodriguez’s amnesty proposal came only after she was pushed by Washington.

“This is not a voluntary gesture by the regime, but a response to pressure from the United States government. And I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to be with their families,” she posted on social media.

Opposition lawmaker Tomas Guanipa, whose two brothers are imprisoned, said he hope the amnesty would end “an era of repression.”

“May this be the beginning of a path that leads us to freedom and democracy, definitively and forever,” he told AFP in an interview at his home in Caracas.

– Americans freed –

US authorities on Friday announced that all Americans known to be held prisoner in Venezuela had been released.

The announcement came hours after the release of Peruvian-American political prisoner Arturo Gallino Rullier, whom the Foro Penal group said was on his way to the United States.

For years, Venezuela has routinely arrested foreigners and domestic opposition actors on a range of charges from spying to plotting attacks — charges critics dismiss as fabricated.

In a sign of Trump’s satisfaction with the new Venezuelan authorities, his administration lifted a ban on US flights to the South American country.

And after years of the US embassy being shuttered, Washington is also preparing to re-establish its diplomatic presence in Caracas.

Seasoned diplomat Laura Dogu was recently named US charge d’affaires for Venezuela — the highest level representative below an ambassador.

Dogu is expected to arrive in Caracas on Saturday, diplomatic sources told AFP.

AFP

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Osun LG Accounts: Court issues arrest warrants against bank

Published

7 hours ago

January 31, 2026

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A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has issued arrest warrants against the United Bank for Africa Plc and four of its senior officials over the alleged illegal operation and maintenance of bank accounts in the name of the 30 local government councils in the state.

The case, marked MOS/601c/2025 and filed by the Osun State Government, was heard on Friday in Osogbo.

In a Certified True Copy of the order titled “Warrant for Arrest of Defendant Who Has Disobeyed Summons (General Title – Form No. 1)”, addressed to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the court stated in part, “Complaint has been made that the defendant(s) did allow unauthorised persons to operate and maintain 30 accounts opened in favour of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State with UBA Bank Plc.

“And the defendant(s) were thereupon summoned to appear before the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Osogbo. An oath has been made that the defendant(s) were duly served with the summons but did not appear, and that such complaint is true.

“You are hereby commanded to bring the defendant(s) before the Magistrate’s Court forthwith to answer to the said complaint or be further dealt with according to law.”

The matter has been adjourned to February 10, 2026, for trial.

The defendants in the suit are United Bank for Africa Plc; its Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba; the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Billy Odum; and the Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke.

According to the charge sheet, the Osun State Government filed a 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions connected to the opening and operation of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.

In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at Olonkoro, Osogbo branch of the UBA, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating, and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.

The alleged offence, according to the charge is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

The defendants were further accused of allowing the opening, operation, and maintenance of local government accounts “by unknown private individuals as signatories,” despite the Local Government Service Commission having formally introduced Directors of Administration and General Services, as well as Directors of Finance of the councils, as the authorised signatories to the statutory accounts.

The prosecution said the action constituted an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3(1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.

Court documents show that the remaining counts similarly relate to the alleged unlawful opening and operation of accounts connected to all 30 local government councils in Osun State.

At the last sitting in December 2025, the Chief Magistrate, Mr A. A. Adeyeba, ordered that the defendants be served through their various email addresses and other substituted means in newspapers. He subsequently adjourned the case to yesterday, January 30, 2026, for hearing.