Flood has trapped thousands of commuters along the Gusau-Sokoto Highway at Maru town, the headquarters of Maru Local Government Area in Zamfara while hundreds of houses have also been washed away in the area.
Commuters travelling from Sokoto and Kebbi states to Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja as well as those going to Sokoto and Kebbi converged on Maru due to the flood.
Our correspondent reports that the flood overran the Maru main bridge, trapping many vehicles and commuters while so many other motorists were also forced to park their vehicles at a safe distance.
One of the affected motorists, Prof. Aliyu Bunza of the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said he was going to Sokoto from Gusau but his vehicle got trapped by the flood.
Residents of Maru told our correspondent that the community had never experienced such a flood.
It may take commuters several hours to cross the bridge as it was, as at the time of filing this report, still flooded and its sideways and nearby buildings had been submerged.
Though there was no report of any casualty, hundreds of houses built near the river have been washed away, rendering many residents homeless.
Our correspondent learnt that over 200 houses had already collapsed in Maru town, the headquarters of Maru Local Government.
The Emir of Maru, Alhaji Abubakar Cika, who went round to assess the damage, said the flood destroyed many houses and property worth millions of naira.
He sympathized with the victims of the unfortunate incident and urged them to consider it as an act of God.
The monarch, however, appealed to the state government and other donor agencies to come to the aid of the victims.
The council Chairman, Aihaji Salisu Dangulbi, visited the scene of the flood to commiserate with the
victims.
He announced the constitution of an eleven-man committee to ascertain the extent of loss recorded in the flood with a view to assisting them.
The council boss described the flood as a natural disaster and a calamity that should be taken in good
faith.