The death toll in the flood disaster at Mokwa town in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State last Wednesday has risen to over 200 as more than 500 others are said to be missing.
The flood, which is said to be the worst in the area in 60 years, swept through the Mokwa districts of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa after late night torrential rains.
Hundreds of houses were also destroyed and many people displaced.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday reported that the official death toll after the incident had risen to more than 200, with over 500 other persons still missing.
Among the victims of the flood were women and children, including many pupils of Quranic schools in the area.
According to the BBC, a local official, Musa Kimboku, said rescue efforts had ceased because authorities no longer believed anyone could still be found alive.
The district head of Mokwa, Muhammadu Aliyu, was quoted as saying that authorities would soon start digging out corpses buried underground in order to prevent diseases in the area.
He was quoted to have said that some bodies were unrecoverable because they had gone “through the River Niger”.
According to reports, residents said they saw their homes and family members get washed away.
One of the residents, Adamu Yusuf, who lost his wife and newborn baby, was quoted as saying: “I watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim.”
Another resident, Saliu Sulaiman, said the flood had left him homeless and destroyed some of his business profits.
“I lost at least $1,500 to the floods. It was the proceeds from the sale of my farm produce the previous day. I contemplated going back into the room to get it, but the pressure of the water scared me.”
Some local residents said the flood was so devastating because a nearby dam had burst; the claim which is yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
The residents claimed that the pressure of the floodwater was so intense that bodies had been washed up in the town of Rabba, at least an hour’s drive from Mokwa.
An official of Mokwa Local Government Area, Musa Kimboku, told BBC that they had told neighbouring villages to bury “any corpse that they find.”
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a local fisherman as saying that the flood had left him homeless.
“I don’t have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed,” Danjuma Shaba said.
Farida Auwalu, the lone survivor from a family of 16, lost seven children in the deluge. The bodies of four of Farida’s children have been found and buried.
“My hope is to see the remaining bodies and give them a decent burial and have closure,” she said.
Some flood survivors are struggling to get basic aid. “No one brought any money or food to help the victims. As you can see, many don’t have a place to sleep,” Hassan Umar, a resident told Al Jazeera in Mokwa.
Daily Trust had reported that the bridge connecting Koshaba and Raba communities, about 7km from Mokwa town where the floodwaters merged with the River Niger, was washed away, with several corpses recovered at the point where the water met the river.
The leader of the Hausa community in Mokwa, Alhaji Tanko Bala, told Daily Trust at the weekend that most of the affected victims were sleeping in an open space because there were no proper arrangements by the government to provide shelter for them.
“Nobody goes to the primary school which the government set aside as a camp for the IDPs. It is only Almajirai that have moved there.
“The place is not habitable. If government wants to help the victims genuinely, they should come forward and provide them with sleeping materials. People sleep on the bare floor,” he had said.
30 states, FCT identified as flood-risk areas
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, had in April unveiled the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook which indicated that 1,249 communities across 176 local government areas in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory fell within the high flood-risk areas in 2025.
The states, which the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency identified as high flood-risk were Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo and Jigawa. Others are Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
“According to the forecast, 657 communities in 52 local government areas are expected to experience high flood risk between April and June.
“544 communities in 142 local government areas between July and September; and 484 communities in 56 local government areas from October to November.
“Moderate flood risk is projected for 445 communities in 116 local government areas from April to June, 1,458 communities in 271 local government areas from July to September, and 1,473 communities in 171 local government areas between October and November,” it said.
Food trucks stranded, farmers association react
Some truck drivers said the Mokwa bridge which collapsed was affecting them as they could not travel with the food items in their trucks.
Speaking to BBC, Mustapha Salaudeen said they were in a traffic which stretched to Dikko junction where all the trailers were stranded.
Salaudeen said because one side of the bridge collapsed, they were finding alternative routes that would help them to move.
The national secretary of the National Tomato Farmers Association, Sani Danladi, told BBC that the collapse of the Mokwa Bridge would affect foodstuff supply to the southern part of Nigeria.
Danladi said: “This Mokwa Bridge for Niger is really important. Since it is the only bridge that links two parts of the country, it will affect the southern part, as vegetable price will go up because there will be no supply.”
US mourns
The United States (US) has commiserated with Niger State over the flood disaster.
The United States Mission in Nigeria in a statement on Monday, via its official X account, said it was deeply saddened over the incident which had seen many people lose their lives and many others displaced.
“The US Mission is deeply saddened by the news of last Friday’s devastating floods that have impacted Niger State.
“During this time of immense loss and hardship, our hearts are with all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, displaced by loss of homes and livelihoods, or struggling to find shelter.
“We are holding in our thoughts, you and the federal and state emergency workers who are working to provide relief and alleviate the effects of this disaster,” the statement read in part.
Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday said it was collaborating with other partners to support authorities in scaling up emergency health response in three communities affected by flooding in Mokwa.
The WHO, in an X post, said it was conducting a public health risk assessment to respond to potential epidemic-prone diseases and other health threats.
“In response to the catastrophic flooding in Niger State in western Nigeria, WHO and partners are supporting the authorities in scaling up emergency health response. 186 people have been injured and 175 deaths reported, with over 13,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and the possibility of more flash flooding.
“WHO is conducting a public health risk assessment to respond to potential epidemic-prone diseases and other health threats and preparing to send emergency medical supplies and equipment to support primary health care,” the post read.
