The Benue State House of Assembly has called on the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to urgently assist victims of a devastating flood that ravaged several communities in Buruku and Ushongo Local Government Areas.
The call followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Deputy Majority Leader, Dr. Abraham Jabi, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Mr. Simon Gabo, during plenary on Wednesday in Makurdi.
Speaking on behalf of Gabo, Jabi said the disaster, which followed days of heavy rainfall, submerged homes and farmlands and destroyed key bridges linking rural settlements.
He explained that the Ambila Stream in Mbaya Council Ward of Buruku overflowed its banks on October 13 after a torrential downpour, submerging Ortese Mbaatsua and Ikyaa villages and washing away the local bridge connecting them.
“The situation is devastating. Many residents have lost their homes, crops, and means of livelihood. The only bridge connecting both communities has been completely cut off,” Jabi said.
He added that a similar incident occurred in Ushongo, where floods and gully erosion destroyed bridges on Usaase I, Usaase II, and Mbele Stream, rendering a two-kilometre access road nearly impassable.
“The worsening condition of rural infrastructure will further isolate the affected villages and hinder access to markets, schools, and healthcare facilities,” he added.
Seconding the motion, Mr. Kennedy Angbo (APC–Otukpo/Akpa) urged the state government to liaise with the Federal Government for ecological support, noting that the scale of the disaster was beyond the state’s capacity.
“We must act quickly before more lives and livelihoods are lost,” Angbo said.
Ruling on the motion, Speaker Alfred Emberga directed the Bureau of Special Projects and the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Projects (RAAMP) to carry out on-the-spot assessments of the damaged bridges and roads in Buruku and Ushongo and to develop immediate plans for reconstruction.
He also urged SEMA to provide relief materials and temporary shelter for displaced residents pending a lasting solution.
