Nigeria: 15 states on alert, NiHSA calls for preventive evacuations

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) has placed 15 states on high alert for river flooding risk from September 19 to September 25, 2026. Notice NFA-2026-262, related to the expected rise in water levels, urges vulnerable communities to take preventive measures and relocate to higher ground if necessary.

The alert affects Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu, and Abia. NiHSA warns that rising waters may impact homes, roads, farmland, and other infrastructure located in flood-prone areas.

The notice also highlights nine hydrological stations to be closely monitored during this period. NiHSA specifically mentions the stations at Obubra, Itigidi, and Epento in Cross River State as key points where water levels should be closely tracked.

Umar Mohammed, the Director General of NiHSA, has urged local authorities and residents in exposed areas to act swiftly. People, livestock, and valuable property should be moved to safer, higher locations when the situation demands.

NiHSA’s official monitoring system concurrently displays high alert levels across several regions in the southern part of the country. On Sunday morning, Rivers was marked as being at critical risk, while Lagos and Delta were listed as high risk on the agency’s real-time monitoring dashboard.

The notice covers a seven-day window, until September 25, during which NiHSA requests the affected states to maintain their emergency response measures and monitor the water levels in vulnerable communities.