Jalingo, June 6, 2026
By Thomas Samuel
At least two communities in Jalingo, Taraba State's capital, were submerged on Friday as heavy flooding damaged a key bridge and destroyed farmland on World Environment Day.
The flooding resulted from a heavy downpour that began in the early hours of Friday. Major areas affected include the Specialist and Nukkai communities, which have long been identified as flood-prone zones in the city.
Ahmed Ali, a farmer who cultivates vegetables along the riverbank in Nukkai, woke up to find his investment wiped out. "I put money into this farm just a few weeks ago. Everything is gone," he said, appealing to authorities to provide palliative support to affected residents.
In the Specialist community, the flood also damaged a bridge linking Jalingo to a local government area. Commercial motorcycle rider Joseph Nyavo expressed disappointment, noting that the bridge had provided relief after decades of hardship. "It is sad that we are back to square one," he said.
This is the second major flood in Taraba State since the rainy season began barely two months ago, already disrupting the lives of both rural and urban communities.
The Director of the Taraba State Environmental Protection Agency, Julius Mimba, had earlier warned residents living along riverbanks to remain on high alert for possible flooding, emphasising that while the government is working to mitigate the impacts of climate change, citizens also have a responsibility to heed meteorological warnings.
Over the past decades, Taraba State has repeatedly suffered the effects of flooding, particularly in areas such as Karim Lamido, Ibi, Gassol, and Jalingo. Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of such floods across Nigeria's Middle Belt to shifting rainfall patterns driven by climate change a crisis set to dominate discussions at COP31 in Antalya later this year.
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