Deadly Windstorm in Taraba Claims Six Lives, Devastates Jalingo Communities

A ferocious windstorm swept through Jalingo, Taraba State’s capital, on June 10, 2025, claiming six lives and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. The storm, striking in the late evening with howling winds and torrential rains, uprooted ancient baobab trees, tore roofs from homes, and collapsed mud-brick structures across Mayo-Dassa, Sintali, and Nukkai wards.

A family of three in Sintali perished when their home caved in, trapping them beneath rubble, while three others died from falling debris in Nukkai’s crowded market district. Over 200 homes lay in ruins, displacing 1,000 residents who sought refuge in makeshift camps at Jalingo Stadium, clutching salvaged belongings under flickering lantern light.

The windstorm ravaged farmlands, flattening maize and yam crops critical to Jalingo’s agrarian economy, threatening food security in a region already strained by seasonal flooding. Governor Agbu Kefas toured the devastated areas on June 11, inspecting crumpled school buildings and flooded roads, announcing a ₦100 million relief fund to provide tarpaulin, food, and medical supplies. Relief efforts faltered as blocked roads delayed aid trucks, leaving survivors huddled in damp shelters. The disaster, one of Taraba’s worst in a decade, exposed vulnerabilities in local infrastructure, with only a fraction of homes built to withstand extreme weather. Jalingo’s central mosque, a community anchor, sustained cracked minarets, while power lines dangled precariously, plunging neighborhoods into darkness. The state’s emergency agency urged federal support to rebuild, as residents began clearing debris under a somber sky, bracing for potential aftershocks.