THE Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued a flood warning to communities along the River Niger and Benue, urging residents of the areas to vacate.

According to the agency’s director general, Umar Mohammed, in a statement on Thursday, October 17, the areas have recorded a significant rise in water levels due to continuous rainfalls.

He added that the water gauge data from key stations including, Lokoja, Umaisha, Makurdi, and Ibbi consistently showed high levels, exceeding nine meters between October 9 and October 15.

“The map shows critical flood-prone zones across Nigeria, particularly around stations along the River Benue and River Niger.

“Makurdi, in particular, has recorded dangerously high water levels, with Lokoja and other stations also nearing flood thresholds,” he noted.

In a bid to mitigate the risk, Muhammed stated that the management of the Kainji and Jebba dams was closely monitoring and controlling water releases to prevent downstream flooding along the Niger.

He then called for full cooperation with emergency response agencies, advising residents to move to safer areas to avoid worsening flood effects.

A report by The ICIR explained that NIHSA’s report on the 2024 annual flood outlook revealed that 33 out of 36 states in Nigeria were predicted to experience a high risk of devastating flooding between July and September 2024.

The NIHSA said that at least 135 local government areas (LGAs) were mapped out as vulnerable to flooding this year.

Affected states include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe.