The Federal Government has warned that 915 communities across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory are at critical risk of flooding between 27 August and 9 September 2026.
It urged residents in the affected communities to take immediate precautionary measures and prepare for possible evacuation as the risk of flooding increases.
The National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre classified the 915 communities as being at critical risk, requiring immediate monitoring, preparedness and protective action.
A further 429 communities across seven states were classified as high risk, while 656 communities in 13 states were placed under moderate-risk watch.
The states identified as being at critical risk are Kogi, Benue, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.
Major cities and communities listed in the warning include Lokoja, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Benin City, Asaba, Calabar, Yenagoa, Uyo, Aba, Onitsha, Enugu, Owerri, Lagos, Abeokuta, Akure, Osogbo and Ibadan.
The government attributed the projected flood risk to a combination of high soil moisture, rainfall, rapid surface runoff, drainage surcharge 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 maintain an immediate flood watch and confirm available evacuation routes.
They were also advised to protect vulnerable members of their households and essential property, while avoiding settlement, parking, trading or storage activities in floodplains, wetlands, riverbanks and low-lying drainage corridors.
State emergency management agencies, environmental officers and community flood focal persons were directed to intensify surveillance around rivers, streams, culverts, bridges, drains, estuaries, reservoirs and erosion-prone areas.
Communities classified as high risk in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba and Kebbi states were advised to step up drainage clearance and monitor culverts and watercourses.
The Federal Capital Territory, along with communities in Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna states, was placed on the moderate-risk watchlist.
The government warned that prolonged or consecutive rainfall could cause a rapid increase in flood risk even in communities currently classified as moderate risk.
Residents were urged to obey evacuation instructions issued by competent authorities, keep children away from floodwater and avoid driving or walking through flowing water.
They were also advised to disconnect electricity supplies where flooding appeared imminent and protect medicines, important documents, food and drinking water.
The government stressed that the forecast should be considered alongside real-time observations, local drainage conditions, river levels and official emergency directives.
It added that feedback from state governments, other stakeholders and community flood focal persons would help with field verification and the continuous updating of the national flood-risk database.
