Recent heavy rainfall in north-eastern Nigeria has led to severe flooding. On 10 September, the overflow of the Alau Dam inundated Maiduguri and surrounding areas, causing significant damage and casualties. Over 1.3 million people have been affected, and approximately 240,000 households have been displaced. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming days.
Government authorities are evacuating residents from high-risk areas to temporary shelters and pre-existing camps, where thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) already reside. Flooding has also impacted IDP camps, including Muna and Jere, which together house around 230,000 people. About 40% of Maiduguri is flooded, severely restricting access to many areas, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting essential services such as schools, healthcare facilities, and markets.
In Borno State, schools have been temporarily closed or repurposed as shelters, disrupting education for children. Both the State Specialist Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital have been flooded, forcing the suspension of operations at stabilisation centres for malnourished children and requiring patient evacuations. Telecommunications and electricity networks are also affected in some areas, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, particularly in overcrowded IDP camps.
I am still confused as how this all happened, I don't know what to do, we need prayers, we need help, shelter, food and clothing. Our homes and properties have been destroyed. I saw families struggle through the water with their children, I could see fear on people’s faces. People need medical attention where we are and some children have been separated from their caregivers at the moment because of the flooding. I am really sad about the situation.”
Immediate needs include food, shelter, and clean water, as water sources have been contaminated. Protection is a significant concern, particularly for unaccompanied children, older persons, and individuals with disabilities. Additional needs include non-food items and measures to prevent disease outbreaks, such as cholera, in congested areas.
Two SOS Children’s Villages programme locations in Goindamgari and Alegeri Communities have been impacted, affecting 300 programme participant families, including two SOS staff members. Some participants from Goindamgari are currently taking refuge at the Alegeri Primary School, and activities in these SOS programme communities have been suspended.
This flooding occurs amid a food and nutrition crisis, high inflation, and the ongoing impact of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
