(English) Nigeria: Scores Missing, 28 Killed As Floods Ravage Plateau Again

(English) August 13, 2012

No fewer than 28 persons have been killed, while scores of others are still missing in a renewed flood rage in nearly all the villages of the southern zone of Plateau State at the weekend.

More corpses are still been picked in villages around the affected areas.

Also about a hundred communities and over a thousand houses are said to have been affected by the flooding.

Also, hundreds of houses and bridges linking the area with Lafia, capital of Nasarawa State and Taraba state were summarily sweep away by the flood waters.

A residence of Langtang, an affected area, Mr Nandom said «iced blocks were literarily falling on their roofs all through early hours of Sunday,» before their homes and farmlands were washed away.

The transition committee chairman of Shendam Local Government, an affected area, Kemi Nshe told Newsmen that two hundred hectares of farm land was also washed away by the flooding in his local government council alone.

The chairman, who described the incidence as sad, however, called on the people of the state to be calm and wait for relief that will come their way soonest.

Senator representing Plateau south district in the National Assembly, Hon Victor Lar, who led a team of newsmen to assess the affected place Monday, described the incident as ugly and unfortunate, and assured the affected people that he will come to their aid.

Meanwhile, the forthcoming Eid el Filtri will be nothing short of a peaceful celebration in Jos, as the military Special Task Force (STF), the Police and religious leaders in Plateau State have agreed to shun violence and make the celebration as peaceful as possible.

It will indeed be a sharp contrast to that of last year in which over 30 lives were lost and 200 vehicles burnt, when the Muslims, who had gone to pray at Rukuba praying ground were challenged by the youths of the area, leading to a full blown crisis.

Muslims in the state this time have extended invitation to their Christian counterparts to join them at the Central Mosque to feast during the sallah, as a mark of reconciliation.

Source: All Africa