The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has called on riverine communities to suspend all activities and vacate the areas to safer ground.

Alhaji Ahmed Inga, Director-General of the Agency, made the call in a statement made available in Minna on Tuesday.

He said the warning became necessary following the listing of the state by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) among those to experience intensive rainfall between Aug. and Sept.

He said that those managing dams had also notified the agency on the rising water levels across state and enjoined communities in flood-prone areas to be on alert.

“The agency has identified safer ground for easy evacuation if need be and we have mobilized all first responders from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies for emergency evacuation and response,” he said.

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Inga added that it was important to direct resources towards proactive strategies than to response efforts, which not only consumes money but lives and property.

He said the agency had embarked on community sensitization across the state in collaboration with traditional institutions, relevant ministries, National Orientation Agency, and the state Sanitation and Environmental Protection Agency.

He said the aim was to mobilize relevant institutions and build the resilience of communities for effective response to stem the disaster.