Two days after severe flooding hit Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeast Nigeria, rescue operations are battling against the odds, as many residents remain missing or trapped in the flood. Families who managed to escape still cannot account for missing relatives, fearing the worst. 

Eyewitnesses report that unidentified bodies have been found floating in the floodwaters, raising concerns for the safety of missing individuals, including children.

Hardest-hit areas in the Maiduguri metropolis include Customs, SS Quarters, and the 505 Housing Estate, where rescue teams, already stretched thin, struggle with a lack of resources like motorboats to navigate the dangerous waters.

“My mother and her grandchildren are still out there in her flooded home,” Maimuna Musa, a survivor, told HumAngle. “I don’t know what has become of them.”

Another woman recounted losing contact with her four-year-old son, whom she had handed to a rescuer while trying to board a truck in a flooded area.

“We were in the water trying to escape, so I gave my son to a rescue worker to help him reach the truck, allowing me to get through with our other belongings. I saw the man place my son into one of the waiting trucks, but before I could exit the water, that truck had already left. The one I boarded then broke down in the water, and by the time they got it running again, I had lost sight of my child. They brought us to the Yerwa Girls Secondary School for shelter, but I still couldn’t find him,” she narrated. 

Halima Ali, another survivor, described how she managed to flee at night as water surged into her home. Unfortunately, her sick mother, three children, and younger siblings remain trapped inside the flooded house. “My mother is currently being helped to the top of a mosque near our home, but she can’t walk,” Halima said. 

Borno state emergency officials, aided by the military, are currently navigating the waters using speedboats from the naval component of Operation Hadi Kai to rescue residents in heavily flooded areas.

A government official who simply identified as Engineer Gujbau told HumAngle, “We have more than 90 families trapped in the 505 Housing Estate and SS Quarters that we are moving in to help evacuate right now.”

As the search for missing loved ones continues, more bodies are being discovered.

Around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, HumAngle witnessed two corpses floating near a flooded bridge close to BRTV Broadcasting House and another at the Post Office area of Maiduguri. Jibrila, one of the young men near the corpses, said, “We have retrieved another corpse and taken it to the nearby hospital to be deposited in the mortuary, but the workers at the gate denied us access. We left the corpse there and decided not to touch the ones currently floating in the water.” 

Residents in Abbaganaran also reported finding the body of an unidentified young man washed ashore. “It took the intervention of the state governor, who visited the Abbaganaran area, to direct that the corpse be taken to the mortuary,” one resident said. 

The Muna axis of Maiduguri, home to the largest informal IDP camp in the state, is among the worst-hit areas. Access has become so difficult that helicopters are needed to deliver aid. Similar conditions prevail in the Chad Basin, Goni Kachallari, and College of Agriculture areas along the Maiduguri-Gamboru road.

Rescue operations

Despite the state government leading the rescue mission, the worsening situation has forced military personnel and local volunteers to join in. Their efforts have been focused on areas like Customs, where individuals are stranded on a flyover bridge.

Local divers have been making daring rescues using makeshift equipment like inflated car tyre tubes. Some of these life-saving services come at a cost. “I paid  ₦50,000 to rescue my mother out of our home in Kasuwan-Shanu area,” said one resident who pleaded anonymity.

Sirajo Garba, the Northeast Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told HumAngle that the military would use motorised boats from the multinational joint task force stationed on the shores of Lake Chad in Baga to assist in rescue operations in Maiduguri.

“We will rely heavily on this military support to carry out most rescues, particularly for individuals trapped in hard-to-reach areas,” he stated. 

Relief efforts underway

The Borno State government has commenced the distribution of aid to flood-affected victims. According to Babagana Zulum, the state governor, over one million people in Maiduguri have been impacted by the flooding, with more than 200,000 displaced as homes remain submerged.

At the old Bakassi IDP camp, women displaced by the flood could be seen counting ₦10,000 cash assistance, part of the palliative measures rolled out by the state government. This support is currently limited to those who have relocated to IDP camps, but government officials say they are working to extend relief efforts to a broader population across the metropolis. 

The Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) also says it has mobilised to provide emergency supplies, including 10,000 bags of rice and noodles, 15,000 mats and blankets, and 3,000 sets of children’s clothing to the flood victims.