The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA) said that seven people have been confirmed dead following a communal clash between two Afoh tribes in Udege, Nasarawa local government in the state.

NASEMA said it distributed building materials and household materials to victims who lost their homes in 2024 and other natural disasters in more than five local governments.

The agency said that the Non-food Items distributed to the 17 communities along the river Benue borders who were affected by the flood disasters include cement, roofing zink, nails, and other household such as mattresses, blankets, and other materials to help rebuild their homes and relocate to their homes before the rain commences.

The Director General, Zamani Alumaga, made this known at a press briefing on Friday at the Agency’s office in Lafia, the state capital.

Alumaga, who lamented the colossal damages caused, including human lives, properties, and farm produce as a result of an avoidable conflict between two tribes of the Afoh nation, cautioned the warring tribes to lay down their weapons and embrace peace as brothers and sisters.

“What is happening amongst the warring tribes in Afoh land is not necessary. The damage right now is far greater than what caused the conflict which ordinarily would have been avoided. We appeal to them to reconsider any further violent moves and embrace peace. Violence does not pay good but peace does”, Alumaga said.

Meanwhile, the DG revealed that five local governments are prone to floor disasters because of their proximity to the river Benue boundaries.

Alumaga disclosed that the five local governments prone to floor disasters are the largest producers of rice, noting that with each flood disaster, the farmers, as well as the production of rice, is affected, and the ripple effect on the nation.

Alumaga recalled that in recent times the highest disaster that claimed over 47 lives in the state was the gas explosion that took place in Lafia in 2018.

He noted that Governor Abdullahi Sule has taken initiatives to mitigate the causes of floods with the provision of the ecological fund recently released by the Tinubu administration to construct damaged bridges and Culvert to ameliorate disaster effects on citizens.

The NASEMA boss, however, disclosed that the crisis in Udege in Nasarawa local government left many properties destroyed but the agency was waiting for the white paper on the crisis to be released before the level of damage could be quantified. (The Guardian)