Heavy rain destroys bridge, cuts off Local Councils in Adamawa

The collapsed bridge

Heavy rains on Tuesday led to the collapse of the Dilichim bridge, cutting off communities in Michika and Madagali local councils from the rest of Adamawa State.The bridge, constructed over the River Yedzaram, had once been bombed by Boko Haram insurgents.
It had remained in a precarious state for two years before it was finally washed away after several hours of rains, reports said.The councilor representing Bazza Ward in Michika Local Council, Mr. Damian Gurai, described the incident as devastating. “We are now cut off by this development and many people are now stranded; nobody can come to Michika and Madagali, just as nobody can go to Yola and other parts of Adamawa.
“Today is Bazza market day; but many traders who came from Mubi and other parts of the state are now stranded at the river bank,” Gurai said.The Vice Chairman of Michika Local Council, Aliyu Kwaji, called for urgent action towards rebuilding of the bridge. “To my knowledge, the contract for this federal road has been given to a company named A.G Vision by the Federal Government.
“The company has started scraping the road some weeks ago, but what we want now is for it to concentrate on the bridge,” Kwaji said.Also speaking, the chairman of Madagali Local Council, Yusuf Mohammed, described the collapse of the bridge as “a serious problem.”
He lamented that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas affected by Boko Haram in Adamawa State was going at a slow pace.“It is sad that two years after the insurgency, this major bridge and others have not been reconstructed and today, here we are. Nobody can come in and nobody can go out from Michika and Madagali local government areas,” Mohammed said.