A flood caused by a heavy downpour has submerged Gashua town, the headquarters of Bade local government area of Yobe State, with the impact washing away corpses in a graveyard.
Gashua is the hometown of Nigeria’s Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, who represents Yobe North district.
The heavy rainfall, which lasted for several hours, was said to have started in the late hours of Sunday and continued through the early hours of Monday.
It was learnt that the flood, which led to the washing away of many graves, caused panic in the area as the residents attempted to rescue the corpses from being washed away.
A concerned citizen in the area, who identified himself as Alhaji Abba, said the whole town was bewildered by disturbing development.
“What we saw here at our graveyard is shocking and disturbing as the flood has completely taken over the yard. Corpses were exposed, hence making it extremely difficult to bury new bodies.
“We are appealing to the government and well-meaning individuals to respond immediately. This place belongs to everyone because sooner or later it will be the final destination for everyone”, he said.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Secretary Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Mohammed Goje, who confirmed the incident, said his agency had made all necessary arrangements to rehabilitate the graveyard.
“We are going to provide cement, blocks, sand, and other logistics for the rehabilitation work to commence at the graveyard,” he said.
Located near a low-cost housing estate, the graveyard is believed to be one of the biggest in the ancient town where remains are committed to the earth.
Perennial flooding is one of the environmental challenges bedeviling Gashu’a, a semi-urban community located in the northern part of Yobe State.