The Federal Government has placed 915 communities across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory on critical flood alert, warning residents to prepare for possible evacuation between August 27 and September 9, 2026.
The warning was issued by the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre, which identified the affected communities as requiring immediate monitoring, preparedness and protective action.
According to the advisory, another 429 communities across seven states are at high risk, while 656 communities in 13 states have been placed on moderate-risk watch.
The states listed under the critical-risk category include Kogi, Benue, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.
Several major cities and urban centres are among those identified, including Lokoja, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Benin City, Asaba, Calabar, Yenagoa, Uyo, Aba, Onitsha, Enugu, Owerri, Lagos, Abeokuta, Akure, Osogbo and Ibadan.
The government attributed the elevated risk to a combination of high soil moisture, continued rainfall, rapid surface runoff, overloaded drainage systems and rising river levels.
In an advisory signed by the Director of the Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department, Usman Abdullahi Bokani, residents in critical-risk areas were urged to immediately monitor flood conditions and confirm available evacuation routes.
They were also advised to protect vulnerable members of their households and secure essential belongings, while avoiding activities in flood-prone locations.
The government specifically warned against settling, parking vehicles, trading or storing goods within floodplains, wetlands, riverbanks and low-lying drainage corridors.
State emergency management agencies, environmental officials and community flood focal persons were directed to increase surveillance around rivers, streams, culverts, bridges, drainage channels, estuaries, reservoirs and erosion-prone areas.
Meanwhile, communities classified as high risk in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba and Kebbi states were advised to intensify drainage clearance and monitor watercourses and culverts.
The Federal Capital Territory and communities in Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna were placed under moderate-risk watch.
Authorities warned that prolonged or consecutive rainfall could quickly push communities currently classified as moderate risk into more dangerous conditions.
Residents were advised to follow evacuation orders, keep children away from floodwater and avoid driving or walking through moving water. They were also told to disconnect electricity where flooding appeared imminent and protect essential medicines, documents, food and drinking water.
The government stressed that the forecast should be assessed alongside real-time observations, local drainage conditions, river levels and official emergency directives.
It added that reports from state governments, stakeholders and community representatives would help authorities validate conditions on the ground and continuously update the national flood-risk database.
