Nigerian farmer Enoch Fater has barely slept in the last few days after water levels started rising at his paddy rice farm and in a major river nearby, pointing to impending floods in Benue state, a major food producer in the central belt.

The warning comes as Nigeria is already grappling with severe floods in northeastern Borno state where a dam burst its walls after heavy rains that have also caused floods in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger - all part of Africa's Sahel region that usually receives little rain.

The release of water from the Lagdo dam is an annual event, and has triggered flooding in Nigeria in the past — including in 2022 when more than 500 people were killed.

STORY: For Alagoa Morris, the trauma of repeated flooding is all too familiar. He says his home and office in southern Nigeria's Bayelsa state gets hit by floods every rainy season.The consequences: property loss and weeks of homelessness for his family.

Di states wey go likely dey affected - Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, and Taraba – don record different level of flood ova di past decade wenever dem release water from di Lagdo dam.

The Central African country has been releasing water from its Lagdo dam since Wednesday, September 18, 2024. The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has urged Nigerians living in floodplains to relocate immediately following the release of the Lagdo dam water in Cameroon.