Nigeria Situation Report, 28 Oct 2024

Highlights

• Over 300 people dead, 1.2 million affected by floods in 33 states in Nigeria.
• Floods displace tens of thousands of people in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria.
• Flash floods in Dikwa, Borno State, in the north-east impede humanitarian operations.
• Numbers of cholera cases increase countrywide amid floods.
• Malnutrition on the rise in Nigeria with floods occurring at the height of a lean season within a food security and malnutrition crisis.

Situation Overview

Floods displace tens of thousands of people in Kogi State in north-central Nigeria

Floods in parts of Kogi State have displaced tens of thousands of people from their homes in affected areas including Ibaji, Lokoja, Kogi and Bassa, according to the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS). This follows spot assessments of the flood situation in the State. While most affected people have relocated to higher ground in neighbouring areas including Idah and Lokoja LGAs, others have moved to other states for safety such as Benue, Enugu, Delta, Anambra and Nasarawa. Some have, however, opted to remain behind to protect what is left of their crops/potential harvests.

Floods had inundated more than 61,000 hectares of farmland in Kogi, according to an update, based on preliminary analysis by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) covering 1-15 October. Damaged crops, according to NRCS, include rice, yams, cassava, beans, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes. Some farmers have reportedly built rafts to salvage their uprooted immature crops.

Urgent interventions needed for affected people include health care, shelter, food supplies, and non-food items including mattresses, buckets, and essential medications. The affected people also urgently need clean water and sanitation facilities.

Efforts are being made to address these needs, as assessments continue to inform the response including verification of the actual number of people affected requiring continued and coordinated support. The NRCS is carrying out community sensitization, water purification and sanitation to stem the risk of disease outbreaks. Joint evacuation operations with government authorities are ongoing alongside continuing spot assessments and capacity building with partners, including the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (FMHAPA) and ECOWAS. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed emergency response teams to Kogi State for search and rescue efforts and assessments. NEMA has also deployed water purification equipment to help provide clean water to affected people.

In other states at risk of flooding, NEMA has prepositioned critical equipment for search and rescue and for the evacuation of people to safer grounds. The agency will also work with relevant State Ministries and departments to establish emergency operations centres (EOCs), as needed, for the coordination of the emergency response, including advocacy to communities at risk, evacuation, among other activities. Identified frontline states at risk of flooding include Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Rivers and Taraba.

According to NEMA, reports from the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) indicate continued alarming red alert water levels in the Niger River at Lokoja, Kogi State, and the Benue River at Makurdi, Benue State. These levels indicate a significant risk of flooding.

Flash floods in Dikwa, Borno State, impede humanitarian operations

In Borno State, humanitarian partners have reported that recent flash floods in Dikwa LGA have severely disrupted humanitarian operations in Dikwa, Ngala and Rann areas. Floodwater reportedly cut off the primary access route between Ajiri and Dikwa, in the Bakassi area, stranding humanitarian convoys and essential supplies in Ajiri town. As a result, much- needed relief supplies are not able to reach the most vulnerable communities. Humanitarians operating in these areas are reportedly running low on fuel, crucial for powering generators and vehicles. This shortage has significantly compromised the operational capacity. Local markets are also facing acute shortages of essential commodities as commercial vendors are unable to restock their shops due to the impassable roads. This has led to an increase in commodity prices, worsening the situation of already vulnerable displaced and host communities. Inaccessible roads have also hindered water trucking and sanitation services, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks in crowded communities. Thousands of people are affected mainly in Dikwa (over 27,000), followed by Rann then Ngala.

While some commercial vendors have resorted to transporting small quantities of goods by boat, supplies remain insufficient to meet the needs of communities. Reports of negative coping mechanisms, including transactional sex and begging have increased, as families struggle to meet their basic needs.

Humanitarian partners in Ngala and Rann urgently need emergency airlifts of critical health and nutrition supplies to prevent a halt in ongoing emergency health and nutrition activities. If the situation persists, humanitarian agencies may be forced to suspend operations due to the inability to sustain operations. Immediate action - including alternative logistical solutions such as airlifts and the mobilisation of additional resources - is crucial to prevent further deterioration. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinated with the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to airlift nutrition supplies to the primary healthcare facility in Dikwa. Since 1 October, over 500 tonnes of humanitarian supplies have been airlifted to various partners in Dikwa, Ngala and Rann partners. All cargo is free for humanitarian partners.

Numbers of cholera cases increase countrywide amid floods

A nationwide cholera outbreak remains a major public health concern across Nigeria. As of mid-October, the country had recorded over 14,000 suspected cholera cases, resulting in a death toll of 378, with an average case fatality rate of 2.7 per cent. This is according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). The northern states of Borno, Adamawa, Jigawa, Yobe, and Kano are the epicentres of the outbreak. The incidence of cholera has been exacerbated by flooding and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure. Additional support and resources are needed to manage and contain the cholera outbreak effectively.

As part of efforts to combat cholera in north-east Nigeria, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners delivered more than 600,000 doses of cholera vaccines to the Borno State Government. This is the second batch of vaccines delivered to the State, with an initial 300 doses already administered to mitigate the spread of the disease particularly within internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Adamawa State similarly received more than 600,000 doses of oral cholera vaccines in two batches. UNICEF provided the first batch of 200,000 doses, used for a mass vaccination campaign in Yola North LGA from 27 September to 2 October. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) supplied the second batch of over 400,000 doses, planned for a mass vaccination in Yola South LGA. Yobe State also received more than 400,000 doses of cholera vaccines from the FMoH. A mass cholera vaccination campaign is ongoing, with over 18,400 people vaccinated.

In Yola, Adamawa State, where 64 new cholera cases were reported in the past week, humanitarian partners are conducting awareness campaigns and water disinfection to stem the spread of the outbreak.

In addition, health partners in Adamawa are carrying out regular hotspot analyses and active case searches to monitor the cholera situation. However, concerns have been raised in the State regarding the depletion of essential medical supplies, such as Ringer's lactate, which is crucial for managing dehydration in cholera patients.

Malnutrition on the rise with floods occurring at the height of a food security and malnutrition crisis

Reports from various humanitarian organisations indicate rising levels of acute malnutrition across the country. A 15 October report from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicated a 24 per cent increase in malnutrition cases among young children in healthcare facilities it supports in north-east Nigeria. In addition, ICRC recorded a 48 per cent rise in severe acute malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications among children under five during the second quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Also in north-east Nigeria, recent assessments by (UNICEF) reveal that between September and October 2024, approximately 47 per cent of children aged 6-59 months screened in temporary relocation sites were acutely malnourished. This situation has been compounded by rising cholera cases following recent floods which are significantly increasing the burden of acute malnutrition. Similarly, in north-west Nigeria, in September a report from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) indicated that one out of every four children under the age of five is malnourished in the Shinkafi and Zurmi areas of Zamfara State.

Floods have affected vast tracts of farmland across the country. Between 1-15 October, the top five most impacted states in terms of farmland affected included Taraba, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Jigawa, according to FAO. The potential annual production losses for maize, sorghum, and rice, combined are equal to 1.1 million tonnes, according to the FAO update covering the same period. These losses could meet the kilocalorie requirements of about 13 million people for a year. The cereal crop losses amount to almost US$ 1 billion in economic value.

Food insecurity has further been compounded by ongoing armed conflict in north-east Nigeria which has displaced millions and disrupted predominantly farming livelihoods by severely restricting access to agricultural land. In many areas, farmers are unable to cultivate their fields due to violence and insecurity. Climate change impacts have exacerbated the situation, with irregular rainfall patterns and floods making subsistence farming increasingly difficult across the country.

In Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere LGAs in Borno, nutrition sector partners have since 10 September to date screened more than 37,000 children aged 6-59 months for acute malnutrition. Among those screened, over 7,000 were severely malnourished with close to 10,000 moderately malnourished. More than 5,600 children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were treated in mobile outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP) sites. While more than 6,000 children aged 6-23 months received Small Quantity of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS). In Maiduguri, FAO aims to reach 1,000 malnourished children through Tom Brown locally sourced supplementary food, safe cooking kits, and homestead gardening kits aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Urgent funding is needed to maintain ongoing efforts to address malnutrition. In MMC and Jere alone, nutrition partners require at least $4.2 million to ensure the continued supply of specially formulated foods and to support operational costs, including the rehabilitation of damaged health and nutrition facilities.