Landslide severes 30, 000 in Cross River from Nigeria

Over 30, 000 people in Bumaji community of Cross River State, a border community with Cameroon have been cut off from Nigeria due to landslide and flooding arising from heavy down pour.

According to eyewitnesses, a heavy rain came down for 48 hours non-stop on Sunday, resulted in the only earth road leading to the community blocked by heavy landslide. The only bridge linking the community has been swept away by flood.

Bumaji community with 12 autonomous villages is an agrarian community. A cocoa farmer, Peter Nsan almost in tears, said, “look at my cocoa farm, it is all gone. I was expecting a bumper yield this year but see what has happened.

“As we are now, some people outside are cut off from the community. This is too much for us, the state and the Federal Government should step in before the worse will happen.”

A community leader in the area and a top politician in the state, Mr. Cletus Obun said “all the 12 villages have been cut off with a population of over 30, 000. No life lost though, but we may lose lives if there is no quick intervention because the community is completely blocked and cut off. So much property destroyed by the flood.

“What has happened is a national emergency. Social and economic activities are cut off because there is no movement in and out of the community, especially with the bridge cut off. The children cannot go to the only secondary school there.”

He said the Batriko-Bumaji road “is abandoned due to political reasons. The last time a state government made attempt to construct the road was during the military administration of Kizito Attah 27 years ago.

With what has happened, even if it takes the entire community the next one year, they cannot evacuate the landslide.’’

Efforts to get the Director General, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. John Inaku, to comment failed as he was not picking calls or responding to text messages on the incident.