Homes hit by huge storm in Nigeria

TORRENTIAL rains and wind destroyed 1,000 makeshift homes in northeast Nigeria over the weekend, aggravating conditions for the thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram violence, the United Nations said.

At least 4,300 people have been affected by violent storms that swept the state of Borno, the heart of the eight-year jihadist insurrection, said the International Organization for Migration after assessing conditions in 44 camps for displaced people in the state.

“Rains are just beginning and they will last for three or four months,” Henry Kwenin, an emergency coordinator for the IOM told AFP.

“The number one priority is to reinforce the shelters, to build adequate drainage systems, and safe places in camps where people can gather in case of violent storms,” he added.

The storms damaged precarious structures in Jere, Kaga, Konduga and Maiduguri, killing one person, said the IOM.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 5.2 million people could need life-saving food aid in three northeast states from June to August.

But lack of funding is forcing aid agencies to cut feeding programmes in the northeast Nigeria, the UN said last month, warning of growing pressure on resources as refugees return.