[7] The River Yobe provides a means of subsistence for hundreds of thousands of people who work in a variety of commercial and agricultural endeavours along its almost 200 km length in the state's northern region, which spans seven local government areas (LGAs) from Nguru to Yunusari.

[8] Notable towns near the river include Gashua, Geidam, and Damasak in Nigeria, and Diffa in Niger.

Some rural dwellers in Yobe, on Saturday, complained that chemicals and waste products had contaminated various water sources in their communities, posing danger to lives[9] Water tests were collected from Yobe River amid the stormy and dry seasons at Nguru, Gashua, Azbak, Dumsai and Wachakal.

From the levels of metals analyzed, it can be concluded that concentrations of Zn, Pb, Fe and Mn were all over WHO and Child allowable limits in all inspecting regions.

This demonstrates an increment in metal contamination stack, likely due to fertilizer development, agrarian cinders and sewage-effluent run-off squanders.