A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning has reportedly destroyed about 70 houses in Malam Madori Local Government Area of Jigawa.

The information officer in charge of the council, Musa Muhammad, confirmed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Dutse on Monday.

According to the statement, the rain damaged several houses, while many were flooded in Shagari Quarters, Tonikutara, Gandun Sarki, and Gandun Bundugoma parts of the LGA.

“The disaster occurred after heavy rainfall that lasted many hours and the flood overwhelmed the waterways and culverts in the area,” Mr Musa added.

He quoted one of the affected persons at Gandun Sarki, Umar Abba, as appealing to the state government for urgent assistance.

He also quoted Mr Abba as saying that his house was among the over 30 completely destroyed buildings.

He stated that a title holder in the area, Bulama Jamilu, confirmed that many victims, who were rendered homeless, were currently taking refuge in their relatives’ homes.

Mr Muhammad added that the chairman of the council, Salisu Sani, sympathised with the victims and pledged to provide them with some succour.

He stated, “The chairman also directed the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) to assess and report the extent of damage caused in the affected areas.”

He stated that the LEMC chairperson, Amina Haruna, confirmed that the lawmaker representing Malam Madori in the State House of Assembly, Hamza Adamu, has donated tippers of sand and other aid to the victims, as the council had provided a water pump engine at Gandun Sarki to drain the flood water to the countryside.

Mr Muhammad further explained that the senior special adviser to Gov Umar Namadi on community affairs and inclusion, Hamza Muhammad, led a team that assessed the situation and pledged to take urgent action to forestall a recurrence.

(NAN)