Zamfara ‘torrential’ rainfall renders 90 homeless, kills 3, and destroys farmlands

On Sunday night, torrential rainfall wreaked havoc in some parts of Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, killing three persons. The unfortunate incident happened at Gidan Kaura in Rijiya district of Gusau, as flood washed away two people during the downpour that lasted for over five hours, Daily Times gathered.

According to the district head of Gidan Kaura, Malam Umar Ibrahim, many of his people have been displaced from their homes with properties worth millions destroyed.

“The situation was very terrible and fearful as the heavy rainfall left many villagers in uncontrollable tears,” he lamented.

Malam Ibrahim explained that the affected people are now squatting with their relations and friends in Gusau, Kaura, and many other places in the state.

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The district head appealed to Gusau Local Government Council and the Zamfara state government to urgently construct standard roads and drainages in the area to alleviate the plight of the people.

He noted that the immediate past administration led by Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari awarded a contract of road construction and drainages in the area which was started but later abandoned by the contractor for the reason or reasons best known to him.

“About 98 percent of the population in Gidan Kaura area are professional farmers, and the uncontrollable flood has destroyed all the farmlands, which means that there would be a serious shortage of food in the area this season,” he pointed out.

Also, the heavy downpour carried a boy of about three years old named Jibril away. He was later found dead some hours after the flood took him away.

According to the father, popularly known as Abdulaziz Oki, the flood carried away the boy in their presence. He said that all efforts to save him were futile as the boy was later found dead in another area.