Nigeria floods displace 4,000 people

At least 4,000 people have been displaced by floods in Nigeria's northwestern state of Katsina, an official said Monday.

The floods also wreaked havoc on property worth millions of Nigerian Naira, Xinhua reported citing Hassan Rawayau, executive secretary of the Katsina State Relief and Rehabilitation Agency.

Despite the magnitude of the disaster, the damage and losses are not as bad as last year when more than 10,536 people were affected, the official said.

"At least 18 out of the 34 local government areas in the state were affected by flood last year as against 17 local government areas this year," Rawayau said.

He added that reduction in the number of victims was due to an aggressive public awareness campaign organised by the state's ministry of environment.

Kusada local government area of the state was most hit by the flood, he said.

More than 148 people have died as a result of flooding recorded across the West African country this year, according to the figure given by the Red Cross.