More than 200 people have been confirmed dead and at least 500 remain missing following catastrophic floods that swept through Mokwa, a town in Niger State, central Nigeria, on Thursday, marking the worst flooding in the area in over 60 years, according to local officials. The disaster struck after torrential rains caused flash floods that engulfed the districts of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa, destroying homes, washing away infrastructure, and submerging farmlands. Local residents and emergency officials suspect a dam failure may have intensified the flooding, although authorities have not officially confirmed this.
“We’ve suspended rescue operations. At this point, we do not believe anyone can still be found alive,” Mokwa’s Deputy Vice-Chairman Musa Kimboku told the BBC. Survivors described harrowing scenes. Adamu Yusuf, a resident, said he watched helplessly as his wife and newborn baby were swept away. “I survived because I could swim,” he said. Another victim, Saliu Sulaiman, lost his home and nearly $1,500 in cash, the proceeds from recent farm sales.
The force of the water was so intense that bodies were found as far as Rabba, over an hour’s drive from Mokwa. Local authorities have instructed neighboring villages to bury any corpses recovered, as some were carried into the River Niger, making them irretrievable. Mokwa district head Muhammadu Aliyu announced plans to begin exhuming buried corpses to prevent disease outbreaks, as decomposition and water contamination remain a pressing concern.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) began distributing emergency relief materials on Sunday, including food, water, and shelter supplies. Roads and bridges were also heavily damaged, disrupting transportation and trade in the region. The Nigerian Red Cross described the situation as one of “significant loss of life and widespread distress.” Flooding is a recurrent issue during Nigeria’s rainy season, which runs from April to October. This disaster follows similar tragedies in recent years: in 2022, over 600 people died, and 1.3 million were displaced due to widespread floods.
As climate change intensifies and infrastructure remains vulnerable, authorities and humanitarian agencies are calling for urgent investment in flood control systems, early warning mechanisms, and resettlement programs to prevent future tragedies.
