The National Emergency Management Agency says about 17,000 residents were displaced by flooding in Kaduna and Katsina.

Suleiman Muhammad, head of operations at the NEMA Kaduna office, disclosed this on Tuesday during an assessment visit to affected communities following the agency’s relief interventions.

He said the floods, which began in late August, prompted the immediate deployment of search-and-rescue teams in collaboration with sister agencies.

“Evacuations were carried out in Kigo Road, Bachama Road in Tudun Wada, Rafin Guza, Haliru Dantoro, Nasarawa and other submerged locations,” he said.

Mr Muhammad said an IDP camp was opened on September 13 in Tudun Wada for displaced families from Bachama Road, while NEMA provided mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets and other essential supplies to support SEMA’s response.

He added that nine communities in Kaduna metropolis recorded 11,919 displaced persons, while 1,644 were affected in Tudun Jukum and Kamacha in Zaria.

In the Kankia local government of Katsina, 3,499 residents were displaced in the Galadima I, Galadima II and Gachi communities.

He confirmed three deaths in Kankia but said no casualties were recorded in Kaduna or Zaria. saying that damage reports had been forwarded to NEMA headquarters for further action.

Some respondents commended NEMA for the gesture, confirming receipt of the items and satisfaction with the agency’s swift response during the 2025 floods.

Ahmad Tijjani, commander of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Kaduna Branch, said response agencies worked jointly from the onset.

“We rescued 43 households and moved them to the Tudun Wada camp. About 239 houses were affected in that community alone,” he said.

He added that minor medical cases such as malaria and diarrhoea were promptly handled by deployed medical teams.

Some of the beneficiaries thanked NEMA for its intervention but appealed for long-term solutions.

Nasiru Suleiman of Bachama Road said flooding had affected the community for more than 30 years and called for dredging the waterways.

Rukaiya Muhammad said many families returned to find homes and livelihoods destroyed, adding that women lost foodstuffs, clothing and small businesses.

She urged the government to support early recovery.

Amanda Stephen, displaced from Kajuru, appreciated the food and relief items but said victims “need more durable assistance, as several houses have been washed away”.

The team also paid a visit to the office of the senator representing Kaduna Central, where NEMA had donated additional relief materials for onward distribution to victims in Kaduna South.

(NAN)