A fierce, late-evening windstorm tore through Gashua, the headquarters of Bade Local Government Area in Yobe State, leaving three people dead and several others injured in its destructive wake.
Transforming a calm evening into a tragedy, the sudden 30-minute deadly weather destroyed several buildings worth millions of Naira, and threw the entire local government into mourning as residents count their losses.
Confirming the unfortunate incident, Chairman of the Local Government Area, Ibrahim Babagana, told reporters that the windstorms, which lasted for about half an hour, destroyed buildings and property running into millions of Naira with several individuals rendered homeless.
He said: “It was a devastating windstorm that started around 5.30 pm on Wednesday and lasted for only 30 minutes. I can confirm to you that three persons have died from the incident while others are receiving medical attention at the Gashua Specialist Hospital, with a few others discharged.
“This is one of the worst windstorms I have ever witnessed in my life. We have not experienced such in the last few decades; almost every resident of Gashua has been affected in one way or the other. Houses, shops, roofs, telecommunication masts, and electricity poles have been affected seriously.”
Meanwhile, in a report submitted to the State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), the Council Chairman called on them to respond swiftly and provide the victims with relief materials, saying the disaster is beyond the capacity of the local government council.
As a prominent riverine settlement situated on the relatively flat plains of the Yobe River Basin, thriving community of Gashua faces a critical vulnerability, in terms of ongoing struggle with severe flooding, driven by its fragile geographic proximity to the Yobe-Kumodugu River system, whose annual overflow heavily impacts communities within the area.
