At least 12 persons were said to have lost their lives while property worth billions of naira destroyed when flood submerged communities in Ubie clan Ahoada East local government area since September 15 to October 21st , 2012.
Flood victims gave the figure while speaking with officers from Child Protection Network (CPN), Rivers State Chapter, a coalition of Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) working for protection of children and the prevention of their abuses, when they visited the internal displayed persons (IDPs) in the area on Sunday October 21st , 2012.
They disclosed that there had been records of deaths since the flood started, stressing that the deceased from Ubio community include Ishake Egbelu, Mercy Emake, Buduka Eta, Jasko Williams, and that the Ogoda community has Kennedi Chita, Morgan Victor, Salvation Tom. that the deceased from Ubio commun ity include Ishake Egbelu, Mercy Emake, Buduka Eta, Jasko Williams, and that the Ogoda community has Kennedy Chita, Morgan Victor, Salvation Tom.
Those who died in Oshibele community are Helen Maxwell, Sunny Joseph while Oyigba community lost Dominic Ogboka.
Odiereke-Ubie community has Agbodgwo Agwror thus making a total 12 persons that had lost their precious lives to flood, as at October 21st , 2012, the victims lamented. They thanked the Child Protection Network (CPN) for providing relief materials to over 400 children as well as 350 clothes and toiletries, shoes, cartons of biscuits And rice among others to breast-feeding mothers and pregnant women while carrying out their Child Protection Rapid Assessment (CPRA) in their communities.
Addressing the Internal Displaced Persons on the occasion, the chairman of Rivers Chapter of Child Protection Network, Mr. Michael Gbarale told the flood victims that the group was in the area to carry out rapid assessment on the children condition in the camps and appealed to families to be resolute despite the condition in which they are facing at the moment.
The CPN field officers revealed that member of the network visited the Ula- Ehuda camp, at the model primary school, Abarikpo model primary school, Okpo and Akabuka in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State (ONELGA).
He further disclosed that communities affected by the flood include Ubie, Ikodu, Olokuma, Ombor, Oshiobele, Huichi, Ubeta Ula-Ubie, Anwunukpok, Ebriba 1 and 2, Egbe, Ogoda, Oyigba, Ubio, Ubrama, Owubo, Odhigbokii and Odiku in Ahoada East Local Government Area.
We also gathered that the flood victims including their children sometime eat once in a day and at times, they were given a packet of Indomie or Gala to eat for a whole day.
The children lacks access to portable drinking water as flood took over their steam, well and other sources of water available in the respective communities in the area, the rights group observed, stressing that children’s access to shelter is also another major problem at the camps, as they slept in open classrooms on bare a floors amidst mosquitoes’ biting them at night.
The group lamented that the children and parents needs food, housing, education, health care, water, clothing, security, finance and sanitation, adding that are starved as there is no food for them to eat and appealed to the Rivers State government, multinational oil companies, corporation organizations, NGOs, philanthropists and well meaning individuals to assist the flood victims so as to save their lives and future of the children. He also observed that the IDPS are being abandoned to their fate, as report gather from different camps also revealed that internal displaced persons (IDPS) eat once a day, and children sleep on bare floor in open classrooms.
He noted complained that there are only mobile clinic in Ahoada main but there is none in other camps and appealed to the state ministry of health to deplore doctors and relief materials to all the camps on daily basis to give access to health in this deplorable situation.
The group further appealed to anyone who intends to assist the children to contact them at Niger Delta Child Right Watch at 26 Mbonu Street, D/line in Port Harcourt.
In is response, HRH Eze (Dr.) David Chigerem JP, the representative of Eze Ekpeye Logbo-in-council thanked the CPN for their intervention and for providing the IDPS with relief materials and appealed for more support for the flood victims.
