Windstorm kills 5, destroys over 1,400 houses
Five people were killed and dozens injured when a severe windstorm hit parts of Sokoto State, including Gwadabawa and Kware local government areas, on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction.
Officials from the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who conducted a joint assessment of the affected areas on Saturday, confirmed the fatalities and damage.
According to the assessment, the storm damaged more than 1,400 houses and several public buildings, including schools. In Gwadabawa LGA alone, 878 houses were destroyed, affecting 1,306 households and displacing an estimated 7,836 people.
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“Eleven people sustained varying degrees of injuries. Officials confirmed five fatalities in the Marabawa community, including two children aged 18 months and 3 years, who were identified as the children of one Mansur Salihu Talhi,” the agencies said in a statement.
The team in Gwadabawa included SEMA Desk Officer Nafi’u Bello, DPM Shehu Muhammad, Gidan-Kaya Ward Councillor Hon. Siba Sodangi, and community elder Adamu Abdullahi Talhi.
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In Kware LGA, the storm reportedly destroyed 523 houses, impacting 1,403 households and injuring 18 people. Parts of Government Secondary School, Kware, including classrooms and fences, sustained heavy damage.
In the Kofar-Barga area of Kware, the home of a resident, Ahmad Abbas, was flattened, while about 100 houses were damaged in the 30-Quarters area of the town.
SEMA said documentation of affected persons and properties is ongoing. The compiled data will be submitted to the state and federal governments to support the provision of humanitarian aid to the victims.
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