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Tag: National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)

  • NEMA says three dead, 15 injured in suicide bomb attack on Maiduguri IDPs camp

    NEMA says three dead, 15 injured in suicide bomb attack on Maiduguri IDPs camp

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the death of three persons in a suicide bomb attack at the Dalori Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri on Sunday night.

    The NEMA North-East Zonal Information Officer, Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, confirmed this on Monday, adding that 15 other persons were injured during the incident.

    A competent security source had earlier told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that a female suicide bomber was shot by security men when she tried to cross the perimeter fence at the camp.

    “They shot her and the explosive device strapped to her body detonated, and blew the woman into pieces,” the source said.

    The source added that a male suicide bomber had also infiltrated the camp and detonated the explosives strapped to his body and killed four persons.

    “Two persons died on the spot while two others died at the hospital,” the source adde

  • Conflict: Osinbajo orders security reinforcement in Yala, Cross River

    Conflict: Osinbajo orders security reinforcement in Yala, Cross River

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday ordered security agencies to take urgent steps to avert further breakdown of law and order in Yala Local Government of Cross River.

    The order followed violence between the Wanikade and Wanihem communities which led to loss of lives and property.

    A statement by the Acting President’s Spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, also directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to liaise with the state government toward sending relief materials to affected communities.

    Osinbajo condemned the recent communal conflict in the area, and appealed to warring communities to embrace peace to enable government to find lasting solution to the crisis.

    This was not the first time both communities clashed over issues of land ownership.

    The June 27 and June 29 clash appeared to be the most devastating, as it left the community deserted.

    Wanikade and Wanihem communities both share boundaries with Benue.

    Persons displaced by the conflict were currently being camped at Efiola-Emokpe community in Oju Local Government Area of Benue.

  • 301 households affected by recent flood in Kano – NEMA

    301 households affected by recent flood in Kano – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says no fewer than 301 households were affected by the recent flood in Gwarzo Local Government Area of Kano State.

    The NEMA Head of Operations for Jigawa/Kano Office, Malam Isah Yusuf, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday.

    He said that the incident which occurred in the early hours of June 13 affected houses in Getso Village and some others areas.

    Yusuf told NAN that the agency arrived at the figure after its officials visited the affected areas and assessed the extent of damage caused by the flood.

    “During the assessment visit, we were able understand that 301 households were affected in Getso Village and some areas in Gwarzo Town,” he said.

    He said that the agency would compile a comprehensive report on the damage after concluding verification of the affected households.

    “We are making efforts to compile a comprehensive report to enable the agency to provide the necessary support or assistance to the victims,” he said.

    He advised Kano residents against dumping refuse in drains to avoid flooding.

  • 17 killed in Borno multiple blasts

    17 killed in Borno multiple blasts

    At least 17 persons were killed after five suspected female suicide bombers attacked Kofa Community near Dalori in Borno.

    Eyewitness told newsmen in Kofa that the incident occurred around 8:30pm Sunday, when Muslim faithful were performing their night prayers.

    “We heard loud sound around 8:30pm, near a mosque, forcing people to run back to their houses

    “As we were preparing to rescue the victims of the first blast, we heard another explosion close by.

    “It was really terrifying; many people died and many others were injured

    “The third explosion occurred after a short while.

    “Eventually, we evacuated eight bodies in the night, to the hospital, while 25 others were injured,” recounted Malam Ibrahim Kolo, member of a vigilante group.

    Mr Victor Isuku, spokesman of Borno Police Command, confirmed the incident, saying 17 persons were killed during the attacks.

    “On Sunday , at about 2030hrs, five suspected female suicide bombers detonated explosives strapped to their bodies in Kofa community, which is about 8km from Maiduguri, and situated along Maiduguri to Konduga road.

    “The first suicide bomber detonated near a mosque, killing seven persons.

    “The second detonated in a house killing five persons, while two other suicide bombers detonated within the same vicinity, killing themselves only”.

    “A total of 17 persons, including the five suicide bombers died, while 11 persons sustained injuries and were rushed to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

    “Police anti explosive team were mobilized to the scene and normalcy has since been restored,” he said.

    However, spokesperson of the North East Zonal office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said in a statement in Maiduguri that 16 people were killed.

    “At about 8.45 pm, two female suicide bombers were intercepted when they tried to gain access into Dalori 2 IDP camp.

    “Two other female suicide bombers also detonated their explosives at the adjoining Dalori kofa village at about 8.10 pm, where they killed 16 people,” Ibrahim said.

    “A total of four suicide bombers were involved in the incident. Injured victims have been administered with first aid and transported to hospitals within Maiduguri for treatment,” said Ibrahim.

  • Jigawa disburses N2.26m to victims of farmers/herdsmen clash

    Jigawa disburses N2.26m to victims of farmers/herdsmen clash

    Alhaji Sani Babura, Executive Secretary, Jigawa Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said the state government has disbursed N2.26 million to victims of Marmara farmers/herdsmen clash in Guri Local Government Area.

    Babura made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Thursday.

    He said the amount was given to 60 people who lost their farm products and personal items as a result of the clash.

    The SEMA boss stated that one person died, while houses and property worth millions of naira were destroyed during the incident.

    Babura expressed sadness over the persistent clashes between farmers and herdsmen at Guri Local Government Area and some parts of the state.

    He called on security agencies to intensify efforts to address the ugly trend.

    Babura appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other International Donor agencies to come to the aid of the victims.

  • Flood destroys 100 houses in Kano, SERERA evaluates damage

    Flood destroys 100 houses in Kano, SERERA evaluates damage

    No fewer than 100 houses were destroyed following a heavy downpour in Gwarzo local government of Kano State on Tuesday.

    The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, rendered many people homeless in the area.

    An eye-witness, Malam Ibrahim Shuaibu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday that the worst affected areas included Sabuwar Unguwa, Abuja quarters and some parts of Katambawa area in the town.

    According to the witness, the wall fence of the Gwarzo Local Government Secretariat had also collapsed, while many vehicles were submerged as a result of the heavy downpour.

    He said a bridge popularly known as Kwakwachi bridge, and a number of some Public buildings including primary schools, were also affected by the disaster.

    When contacted, the Executive Secretary of State Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA), Alhaji Aliyu Bashir, confirmed the incident, saying that he had yet to ascertain the exact number of the houses destroyed.

    He, however, said a combined team of SERERA and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials had been dispatched to the area to assess the extent of the damage caused by the flood.

    NAN recalls that last week, many people were rendered homeless in Gwarzo local government area from a similar incident.

  • NEMA, UNESCO advocates synergy of modern, traditional expertise in disaster management

    NEMA, UNESCO advocates synergy of modern, traditional expertise in disaster management

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have underscored the synergy of modern and traditional knowledge of early warnings to disaster management.

    Both organisations made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during a workshop on “Interfacing modern and indigenous early warning systems to build vulnerable communities’’.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the partnership between both organisations is focusing on countries in the Lake Chad Basin Region that have been adversely affected by climate change.

    The countries are Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

    Mr Mustapha Maihaja, the Director-General of NEMA said that the impact of climate change had been dire on the countries concerned.

    He said that disaster could therefore be reduced to its minimal if there was a synergy of modern science and indigenous knowledge.

    Maihaja, who was represented by Mr Alhassan Nuhu, the Director, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), NEMA explained that a fusion of both bodies in building effective early warning systems would reduce disaster on vulnerable communities.

    “Climate risks are increasing in frequency and magnitude worldwide, impacting on human health, the environment and causing material loses to communities in a way that impedes the development of the society.

    “This is slowing down the progress toward sustainable development, and throws up a challenge to us as disaster risk managers.

    “The combination of both indigenous knowledge and modern science is inevitable; none can completely stand alone or excludes the other if our goal is to assure a reduction in loss of life and property.

    “There is an increasing awareness of the importance of indigenous knowledge as invaluable and underutilised knowledge reservoir.

    “Indigenous knowledge has been applied in evaluating climate trends and further used to establish early warning in our communities particularly with regards to rainfall patterns.

    “With the intensity and frequency of the changing pattern of climate and its impacts, the effectiveness of indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction is becoming grossly inadequate.

    “There is therefore a need to link modern science with indigenous knowledge in order to build a culture of early warning systems and disaster risk reduction by vulnerable communities to the negative consequences of climate change,’’ Maihaja said.

    Maihaja urged participants of the workshop to come up with a laudable project that would better enhance an effective early warning system to mitigate disaster in the region.

    ‎Mr Yao Ydo, the Regional Representative of UNESCO to Nigeria said that with this new emerging challenges emanating from climate change, it was important to look at the other dimensions of knowledge.

    Ydo, who was represented by Mr UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) , Senior Education Specialist, UNESCO, Nigeria said that it would be very useful to fuse knowledge and other forms of knowledge acquired.

    He said that the event was focusing on the Lake Chad Basin Region because the eco system of the region had been severely affected by the impact of climate change with terrible human and environmental consequences,

    He explained that these consequences had manifested in form of insecurity, social dislocation, economic disruption and environmental degradation, among others,

    The UNESCO regional representative explained that the synergy of both scientific and indigenous knowledge would generate a new co-produced knowledge that would enable effective action to cope with the impacts of the climate change.

    Ydo said that for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNESCO encouraged member states to explore and value the good traditional solutions used in the past by communities to address development challenges.

    He said that this could also help in building the resilience of members of communities.

    Ydo said that UNESCO was partnering with NEMA as the agency responsible for disaster management so that they would  work together and bring in experts to develop mechanisms in building a robust DRR response.

  • Climate change: UNESCO, NEMA to develop culturally acceptable early warning tools

    Climate change: UNESCO, NEMA to develop culturally acceptable early warning tools

    UNESCO is collaborating with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to develop culturally acceptable early warning tools that will improve indigenous adaptation and resilience to disaster risks posed climate change.

    This project is being fashioned against the background of the importance of combining indigenous and scientific knowledge in building resilience to climate change.

    Mr Ydo Yao, Director and Representative UNESCO Regional Office, and NEMA Director-General, Mr Mustapha Maihaja, made this known in a joint statement issued in Abuja.

    They noted that the interface between indigenous and scientific knowledge had become imperative due to the intensity of climate change impact.

    “With the intensity and changing pattern of climate change impact, the capacity of indigenous knowledge Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures has weakened; hence the need to interface modern science without substituting each other.’’

    The underscored the need to respect the two sets of knowledge and build on their respective strengths.

    In view of this, UNESCO and NEMA have organised a meeting of experts with the theme “Interfacing Modern and Indigenous Early Warning Systems to Build the Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to the Vagaries of Climate Change’’.

    The two-day meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday and Wednesday, will focus of the Lake Chad region.

    The objectives of the meeting are to raise awareness on climate change vulnerabilities and identify indigenous early warning systems that could be interfaced with modern systems, Yao and Maihaja said.

    The meeting is also expected to review studies, plans and strategies of combining both systems and recommending additional project that could be implemented in Nigeria.

    Furthermore, the experts are expected to propose a template for developing indigenous and scientific culturally acceptable early warning education and advocacy tools for DRR management in the Lake Chad communities.

    UNESCO and NEMA observed that natural disaster management in Africa is “deeply rooted’’ in local communities with the use of indigenous knowledge to master and monitor climate and other natural systems in order to boost resilience.

  • NEMA DG wants more collaboration on humanitarian crisis in N. East

    NEMA DG wants more collaboration on humanitarian crisis in N. East

    Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja, Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has called for more collaboration among stakeholders toward addressing humanitarian crisis in the North-East.

    Maihaja made the call during an interactive meeting with humanitarian stakeholders on Sunday in Maiduguri.

    “NEMA has the primary responsibility of responding to emergencies and coordinating humanitarian crisis in the country.

    “The North-East, especially Borno, is worst affected by the devastating Boko Haram insurgency; we need massive collaboration among stakeholders to tackle the resultant humanitarian crisis here,” he said.

    He promised that NEMA would continue to provide the support necessary to improve the living conditions of displaced persons, noting however, that more would be achieved if all stakeholders worked together.

    The NEMA boss said that the interactive session had helped the agency to get a feedback on its performances, especially the shortcomings.

    “We intend to meet with experts and examine our performances; we will also contact international organisations and appeal for increased support.

    “We shall also discuss the current realities with the Federal Government and crave for more support,” he said.

    Mr Peter Lundberg, UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, had earlier told the NEMA boss that there were 75 partners working in the North-East, among them UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

  • NEMA closes collapsed building’s rescue operations

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that the rescue operations which started at the site of a collapsed three-storey building in Lagos on Thursday have ended.

    NEMA’s Public Information Officer, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, made the confirmation at the site of the collapsed building at 2/4, Richard Abimbola Str., Ilasamaja, in Isolo, Lagos.

    “As at now, 11:28 a.m., we have reached ground zero, and we are just waiting for our partner, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr Tiamiyu Adesina, to formally declare the operation closed.

    “As at now, we still have the same figure of three dead and 19 rescued alive,” Farinloye said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the crane and other heavy-duty equipment used in the rescue operations have been removed from the site, while police personnel have taken charge.

    Rescue operations commenced at the site of a three-story building which was being developed at Isolo, Lagos at about 2.45 p.m. on Thursday, following the collapse of the building which trapped many of its construction workers in its wreckage.