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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Floods in Nigeria have killed at least 300 people this year and the situation could worsen due to heavy rainfall and the effects of excess water from a dam in Cameroon that will affect 14 Nigerian states, the disaster management agency has said.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) held an emergency meeting on Monday to review the flood situation and plan a response. More than 100 000 people have been displaced by flooding since the start of the rainy season and are now living in temporary shelter, NEMA director general Mustapha Habib Ahmed said.

Ahmed said Cameroon opened flood gates at Lagdo dam last week and the spillover effects combined with heavy rainfall would lead to flooding in 14 states, including those in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

“I want to advise all the governments of the frontline states to move away communities at risk of inundation, identify safe higher grounds for evacuation of persons, and pre-position adequate stockpiles of food and non-food items, potable water, hygiene, safety and security,” Ahmed said.– Reuters