Nigeria battles worst floods in years; hundreds killed

The authorities in Nigeria say more than 300 people have been killed and more than 100,000 displaced by floods across the country since July.

Homes and farms have also been devastated.

The West African country is currently experiencing its worst deadly floods in many years.

The authorities say 29 of its 36 states have been affected by floods.

They are caused by heavy rains and release of excess waters from dams by authorities within Nigeria and in neighbouring Cameroon. Rivers are also overflowing.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency has warned that more floods are expected in the coming weeks.

It urged state governments to help evacuate people living in flood-prone areas.

The head of the agency, Ahmed Mustapha Habib, said more emergency personnel and equipment have been deployed to help victims, describing the emergency situation as a “challenging moment’’.

Several African countries are experiencing unusual torrential rains – often leading to devastating floods.

Experts partly attribute this to the impact of climate change.

Poor infrastructure and a lack of mitigating measures are also believed to be contributing to the huge levels of destruction.