More than 300 residents of Nkalunta Ibere village in Otu Uzo-Ibere, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, have been displaced after the Akoo River overflowed its banks following days of heavy rainfall.

The flooding affected homes and farmlands across the community, destroying houses, livestock, poultry and churches.

Residents said the river rose significantly above its normal level after persistent rainfall over a period of one week, causing water to spread into surrounding areas.

The flooding also reportedly swept reptiles, fish and other aquatic animals from the river onto nearby land.

Speaking about the situation, the President-General of Ibere Clan Development Union Federated, Maxwell Otuonye, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Assembly candidate for Ikwuano Local Government Area, Kalu Chukwuemeka Israel, appealed to the Abia State Government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for urgent assistance.

They said the destruction had left affected residents facing hunger and exposure to possible disease outbreaks, with many displaced villagers reportedly spending nights in the cold after their homes were damaged.

The Chairman of Ikwuano Local Government Area, Anthony Nwaubani, also visited some of the affected homes and farms and described the flooding in Nkalunta as a major disaster requiring immediate intervention from NEMA and other relevant government agencies.

Nwaubani said the extent of the destruction was beyond what the local government could handle on its own.

Meanwhile, former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Henry Ikoh, who is from Ikwuano, appealed to both the Federal and Abia State governments to urgently assist the affected residents.

The flooding in Nkalunta Ibere comes days after a similar incident was reported in Ugwueke community in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

In that incident, a 37-year-old trader identified as Mr Ejiuwa reportedly drowned while returning from the market during flooding in the community.