Flood Displaces 470 Children, Destroys 270 Homes In Kaduna

A two-day torrential rainfall that pounded Zaria in Kaduna State between Thursday night and Friday morning has left a trail of destruction, displacing over 470 children and wrecking no fewer than 270 homes across multiple communities in the ancient city.

When The WHISTLER visited the affected areas on Saturday, the scale of destruction was heart-wrenching, collapsed mud walls, submerged farmlands, and children huddled under makeshift shelters, shivering in the cold morning breeze.

“This is the worst flood I have seen in my lifetime,” said 70-year-old Alhaji Bala from the Magume community, whose home was swept away.

“The water came so fast. Before we knew it, it was inside our houses, carrying away food, clothes, even my small provision shop. Now, we have nothing left.”

A joint assessment team comprising the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and Zaria Local Government officials confirmed the devastation after visiting the affected communities on Friday afternoon.

Led by the Zaria Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Jamil Ahmad Muhammad Jaga, the team toured Kofar Kuyanbana, Gangaren Mobil, Bayan Cinema in Tudun Wada Ward, Magume, Bako Zuntu, and Kamacha in Tukur Tukur Ward—all badly hit by the floods.

Speaking after the tour, Jaga described the situation as “unprecedented and tragic,” calling for immediate intervention from state and federal authorities.

“We have over 270 houses either partially or completely destroyed and more than 470 children displaced,” the council chairman told The WHISTLER.

“It is only by God’s mercy that no life was lost. The victims have lost everything—food, clothing, electronics, even important documents. We are appealing to government agencies, NGOs, and philanthropists to come to their aid quickly.”

For residents, the heavy rainfall that began in the early hours of Friday was unlike anything they had seen in recent years.

“We were asleep when neighbours started shouting,” recalled Hauwa Mohammed, a mother of four from Bayan Cinema.

“Water was rushing in from the back of the house. It rose so quickly that my husband had to carry the children on his shoulders. We could not save any of our belongings.”

Another victim, Malam Ibrahim Sani of Kofar Kuyanbana, said he lost his entire household property in the disaster.

“The flood carried everything—mattresses, food, even my children’s schoolbooks,” he said, adding that “right now, we are staying in a classroom provided by the local council, but we have no food, no bedding. We are appealing for help.”

In the immediate aftermath, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Zaria Division, has commenced the distribution of relief materials, including blankets, mosquito nets, and food items, to some of the affected families.

Chairman of the Zaria Division, Malam Mohammed Suleiman, said the organisation was doing what it could but stressed that the magnitude of the disaster required wider support.

“We have started providing some relief, but it is far from enough,” Suleiman said

“Many children and women are sleeping in mosques, schools, or with relatives because their homes are gone. We need the government, private organisations, and good-spirited individuals to urgently intervene with food, clothing, and building materials,” he added.

Meanwhile, a devastating flood has sacked scores of households in Kigo Road Extension, Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, leaving hundreds of families homeless and counting their losses.

The flood, triggered by a torrential rainfall in the early hours of Thursday, swept through homes in the densely populated area, destroying property worth millions of naira and forcing residents to flee in the middle of the night.

When The WHISTLER visited the area on Friday, families were seen stranded by the roadside, drying soaked clothes while children huddled under makeshift shelters, waiting for assistance that was yet to come.

One of the victims, Mrs Khadijatu Jatau, a mother of nine, recounted how she barely escaped with her children as floodwaters surged into her home around midnight.

As of Friday evening, there was no official statement from the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) or the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) regarding plans to assist the affected families.

However, The WHISTLER gathered that local government officials had begun preliminary assessments to determine the number of displaced households and the scale of damage.

“We are aware of the situation and will communicate the next steps once assessments are concluded,” a local government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.

Some residents blamed blocked drainage systems and indiscriminate dumping of refuse for the flood, noting that Kigo Road Extension had suffered repeated flooding over the years.

Flood Displaces 470 Children, Destroys 270 Homes In Kaduna is first published on The Whistler Newspaper