CATASTROPHE LOOMS: Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, Zungeru Dams to Release Excess Water — NSEMA Warns of Deadly Floods

Minna — Tension has gripped communities across Niger State and beyond as four major hydroelectric dams — Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, and Zungeru — prepare to discharge excess water, raising fears of devastating floods.

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), in a statement on Thursday, issued a stern warning that the impending release would unleash torrents capable of submerging homes, farmlands, roads, and bridges, with dire humanitarian consequences.

According to the Director General of NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Arah, the notice followed advisory alerts from the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), both of which painted grim scenarios of the disaster that could unfold along the River Niger and River Kaduna banks.

> “The dams are releasing thousands of gallons of water per minute. Communities in flood-prone and riverine areas must urgently relocate to higher grounds already identified by the state government. Failure to do so may result in catastrophic flooding,” Arah warned.

NiMet’s latest forecast added to the tension, predicting that the end of the rainy season would come with violent windstorms, further compounding the looming disaster. Citizens were cautioned against seeking shelter under trees during rainfall and advised to avoid substandard structures vulnerable to collapse.

Already, the state is counting losses. Bridges have been washed away, farmlands destroyed, and communities displaced in several local government areas including Lavun, Magama, Rafi, Kontagora, Gbako, Mokwa, Lapai, Katcha, Agaie, Suleja, Shiroro, Mashegu, Agwara, Bida, Edati, Munya, Bosso, Chanchaga, Paikoro, and Wushishi.

Reports also indicate loss of lives, although NSEMA did not provide official figures as at press time.

The fear among locals is palpable. Farmers face the risk of losing their year’s harvest, traders watch helplessly as road networks collapse, while displaced families lament the uncertainty of their survival.

Meanwhile, social media has been awash with desperate pleas, one of which came from Amirah, an acid attack survivor, who cried out over her plight amid the disaster: “How can I raise N474 million? Every day is torture.” Her anguish has become symbolic of the double tragedy — victims battling personal crises while now being forced to confront nature’s fury.

As emergency agencies brace for impact, the federal and state governments face mounting pressure to swiftly intervene before Niger State — already battered by insecurity and economic hardship — sinks into a full-scale humanitarian disaster.