It was a soft rain, gently dropping on
rooftops all over Kaduna and environs penultimate Sunday night.
Grateful residents furled up under bedcovers and
relaxed into deep sleep awaiting the break of another day.
And then flood came-Vanguard
River Kaduna, which originates from
the Jos plateau and snakes 400km down to Kaduna city, was swollen to an
incredible level as it collected excess water from the scores of
tributaries that flow into its channel as a result of incessant rainfall in the
few past days.
In a rash of current, the swirling river swept
every loose object on its path unto its massive brown belly as it rolled
downwards like a tsunami to join the Niger hundreds of miles
southwards.
Farms, homes, school premises, business, places
of worship were submerged while some, close to the banks of the river, were
swept off.
Residents, living in low apartment homes within
300m of the banks, suddenly realised they were getting trapped in fast rising
level of water as early as 3am penultimate Monday.
Houses affected, according to unofficial sources,
may be as many as 3,000 in parts of 10 local government areas, LGAs, hit
by the disaster.
Worst in history
“I have lived in this town for all the 54
years of my life”, Aliyu Bashir Ahmed told Sunday Vanguard in
soaked Jeans and t-shirt after he managed to take out a few
belongings from his family home on Aliyu Makama Road, Barnawa, Kaduna,
not far from Station Roundabout bridge that links southern part of
Kaduna town with the northern part.
“I have never seen anything like this before”, he
added. “Look at my mum over there”, he pointed at an old women swathed in
wrappers on the front seat of a pickup van carrying some rescued household
goods, “she said that the only time she could recall something close to this was
in 1965. But then, there was no time this river has overflowed to the point of
touching the top of that bridge, as we had this morning”.
At the foot of the bridge, a crowd had gathered
on both sides around 10am, penultimate Monday morning, wondering
how a river channel, about 100 meters wide, could expand into nearly half a kilometer.
The river had levelled the buildings and vegetation on its banks, allowing
observers to have uninterrupted view of the banks as long as eyes could see.
All kinds of objects floated on the
brownish furiously flowing “sea”, with some observers swearing that they
saw corpses of livestock, and even that of a man.
Director General, Kaduna State Emergency
Management Agency, SEMA, Mr. Ezekiel Baba-Karik, later told
newsmen that the flood was record high in Kaduna.
He said: “So far, parts of 10 LGAs have been
badly flooded. There has never been this type of flood in the state”.
Namadi’s House affected
In Kaduna metropolis, worst hit were parts
of Barnawa, Tudun-wada, Kigo Road, Gonin Gora,
Karatudu, Kudenda, and Rafinguza which were submerged.
The home of former Vice
President Namadi Sambo at Ungwan-Rimi, and the Living Faith
Church, in Kaduna were also ravaged by the
flood.
But the former VP had relocated from the
house on Camp Road, Unguwan Rimi, after he lost the last
general elections.
The flood took residents by surprise, and
hundreds were trapped. No official figures have been given about casualties,
but many affirmed that some residents drowned in their homes.
Strange hero
Some who were lucky to escape spoke of volunteers
who risked their lives to rescue them.
“I have never swam in my life before”, said
Kelechi Samuel, a hairdresser who lives on Kigo Road.
“When my neighbours banged on my door,
around 5am (Monday), I jumped out of sleep and landed in a pool of
water. As I opened the door, water rushed in. Outside was already like a lake.
I went for my box where I had some money and documents. And as I heard
people screaming out there, I knew it may be too late for me to start arranging
the box. So I grabbed it and waded through the water. The more I walked to the
gate, the more I got deeper into water. I was scared that I could drown in the
water. I rushed back, confused as I saw the water level rising the more.
Then I saw a man who was swimming on a huge calabash. He came through the gate.
He said I should give him the box and that I should grab his back. I had
no choice than to trust the stranger. He spoke very little, so I don’t know who
he was. That is how he swam with me to safety. He said he was just helping and
refused any form of reward. He returned into the water to help the next
person”, she told Sunday Vanguard.
Scoundrels on the loose
But, there were also rogues who took advantage of
the disaster.
Said Kabiru Audu, 34, a bank worker who lives in
Unguwan Rimi: “I had spent the night at my cousin’s place at the NDA barracks,
then left for the office; not knowing there was a problem where I was living.
“Someone called me and said that parts of Unguwan
River had been taken over by the river and that my area was affected. I dashed
out of the office from Kawo around 9:45am to see what I could
salvage from my house. I reached my apartment around
10 am. Before I could get out, I discovered that the flood outside
had reached close to my nostrils. I had no choice than to climb the first floor
of the building where others had gathered. I however managed to remove a few
valuables.
“The boatmen came and started collecting N8,000
per head. Some of us refused to pay. But after an hour, with the situation
getting worse, we started paying N20,000 per person. Even at that, there were
no enough canoes to take everyone. Some people are still up there”.
Also, it was gathered that thieves came in canoes
and burgled homes. A woman, who said she did not want her named mentioned, said
thieves came in a canoe, and stole all the hens in her poultry and took away
her electronics just as she was fleeing the house. She said that no one could
dare them under that condition.
Reporter affected
Femi Adi of The News magazine, one of the
victims, who lives in Kudenda suburb of Kaduna , told our
correspondent that his house and neighbour within the vicinity were submerged.
He said: “Over 500 houses located along the river
side are gone.
“It’s quite unfortunate that we cannot help it.
We saw our houses taken over by water and we could not do anything.
“I was here at the Nigeria Union of Journalists’
secretariat(Kaduna) doing my story when I was called that flood
was taking over the area but, by the time I left for the house,
the damage had been done”.
SEMA overwhelmed
The damages clearly overwhelmed Kaduna State
Emergency Management Agency, SEMA.
SEMA, according to Sunday Vanguard’s investigations,
had only about 10 live jackets, not even enough to go round its staff. It
had no divers, and even swimmers or rescuers. SEMA had only two vans,
and certainly didn’t have a canoe, talk less of a boat. It was just left with
making assessments of the damages with the view to arranging relief for the
victims.
NEMA boss attacked
It was, therefore, not a surprise that the
Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad
Sani Sidi, escaped being mobbed by irate victims, penultimate
Tuesday.
Sidi, on assessment tour of the affected areas,
had arrived Kigo Road new extension at about noon to meet a
crowd of displaced persons demanding for immediate attention.
Some of the victims hurled insults at the man on
top of their voices, despite pleas for calm; so he could give them useful
information.
“You are only here to speak grammar! We have no
place to lay our heads! Government doesn’t care for us! Open
your mouth and speak out, you are saying nothing!” were some of the rude comments
he got.
When it was apparent that the displaced persons
may physically assault Sidi, his armed escorts moved him to a waiting vehicle,
and zoomed off. He arrived Ahmadu Bello Stadium to inspect a temporary
camp under construction for the victims.
They have been warned
However, fielding questions from reporters on his
encounter, he said: “The reaction of the flood victims was not pleasant, but I
think it is normal because from what I have seen, they were not prepared for
the flood, even though they had earlier been warned.
“You are aware that Nigerian Meteorological
Agency, NIMET, issued the seasonal rainfall prediction which showed that all
these states would be flooded, and now we have the situation at hand. And as I
speak, about 10 local government areas were affected by this flood in Kaduna
State, about 16 local governments in Jigawa, about 17 local governments in
Kebbi, almost 20 local governments in Adamawa State, and other states that were
mentioned in the NIMET prediction.
“I had in the last two months been warning that
there would be flood, and we need to move people, especially those that live
within the flood prone areas, to higher ground, but they never took the warning
very seriously”.
River taking revenge
According to Malachy Danasabe, a town planner
with City Dweller Nigeria Ltd, the victims and government share
the blame for the tragedy.
He said: “Government was never supposed to give
building permits on flood plains. In the case of Kigo Road and all that axis,
there is an existing planning regulation since 1967, that says that at no
circumstances should any form of residential building be permitted in that
area. Again, these people have yearly experienced this problem, though that of
this year is the worst. They have no excuse to remain there. There houses
were built in violation of clear safety guidelines for the building of
homes. I think the river is just taking vengeance against those
trespassing on its route”.
More suspects to join Diezani – UK Govt.
There were indications, yesterday, that the
immediate past Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke, who was arrested
and released in the United Kingdom, on Friday, on money laundering allegations,
may be charged to court, this week.
And feelers showed that she will not be the only
person in the dock.
According to Vanguard, it was learnt that besides the four other persons arrested with the former
minister, more suspects may also be arraigned.
Meanwhile, Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) detectives, who raided the Abuja home of Allison-Madueke,
just at about the time of her arrest in the UK, on Friday, reportedly recovered
cash running into millions of Naira.
The trial is expected to be conducted in London
and is likely to draw thousands of Nigerians resident in the United Kingdom
(UK) but no date was specified, last night, when Sunday Vanguard made
contacts with the National Crime Agency (NCA), which arrested and released
Diezani and four others on Friday.
An official of the NCA gave indication of the
trial in a telephone chat
but pointed out that the identities of all the suspects would
only be unveiled at the point of charging them to court.
but pointed out that the identities of all the suspects would
only be unveiled at the point of charging them to court.
The official explained that the law establishing
the NCA does not allow it to name those being investigated before charging them
to court.
The official said: “Indeed we cannot name the
five persons who were arrested and granted police conditional bail until we are
ready to charge them to court.
“The law does not permit us to do so and we will
release appropriate information to the media as the case progresses”.
But it was learnt from sources close to the
British government that the NCA might have concluded arrangements to arraign
Diezani and other suspects believed to be mostly Nigerian oil business men,
suspected to have aided and abetted money laundering while the former minister
was in office.
One of the sources said the British Government
started investigating Diezani as early as 2013 following sustained allegations
of financial wrongdoings at home and abroad, leveled against her and some
officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
In the meantime, a team of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives, which raided the Abuja home of
the former minister in Asokoro, Abuja, was said to have recovered cash running
into millions of Naira from the place.
But a source close to the operation said only
N1.2 million was recovered.
The security agents, who stormed the home, on
Frederick Chiluba Street, Asokoro, in six vehicles, reportedly gained access to
the expansive mansion with the aid of some former security aides of the
embattled former minister.
The team allegedly gained access to the well
fortified house using one of the windows.
Reports said Diezani had not been sighted near
the palatial home since leaving office in May but had been staying in the
United Kingdom, where she reportedly sought medical attention over an
undisclosed ailment.
In updated information on its website, yesterday,
the NCA disclosed that investigation of the suspects was initiated in 2013 by
the Proceeds of Corruption Unit, which transferred the matter to it early this
year.
The agency said that the suspects were merely
granted what it called “conditional police bail” pending further investigation
to be conducted in the UK and overseas.
It was learnt that the EFCC, which has a working
pact with UK anti-corruption agencies, swopped on Diezani’s home and recovered
vital documents, which it hopes to use to prosecute her when the trial begins
in London.
According to the NCA’s website, the International
Corruption Unit (ICU) investigates bribery of foreign public officials by
individuals or companies from the UK and money laundering by suspected corrupt
foreign officials and their associates.
The ICU also traces and recovers the proceeds of
international corruption, support foreign law enforcement agencies with
international anti-corruption investigations; engages with government and
business to reduce the UK’s exposure to the proceeds of corruption.
It works to support increased compliance
with the Bribery Act 2010 and draws on the specialist support available to it
within the NCA, while also working closely with other UK law enforcement
agencies and overseas partners.
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