Over 700 Feared Dead in Nigeria’s Worst Floods in Decades – GhArticles.com
More than 700 people are believed to have died in catastrophic floods that devastated the central Nigerian town of Mokwa in Niger State last Thursday. Local officials confirm over 200 fatalities, with at least 500 others still missing as rescue efforts wind down.
The floodwaters, triggered by days of torrential rainfall, submerged the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts—making this the worst flood to hit the region in more than 60 years.
Speaking to the BBC, Deputy Vice-Chairman of Mokwa, Musa Kimboku, said rescue operations have ceased as authorities no longer expect to find survivors. “The situation is dire. We’ve advised surrounding communities to bury any corpse they find,” he stated grimly.
Stories of heartbreak and devastation are emerging from survivors. Adamu Yusuf recounted how he watched helplessly as his wife and newborn were swept away by the floods. “I survived because I could swim,” he said.
Another resident, Saliu Sulaiman, lost both his home and the $1,500 he had earned just the day before from selling his farm produce. “I thought of going back into the house to retrieve the money, but the water’s force scared me,” he lamented.
Some locals suspect that the magnitude of the flood may have been worsened by the bursting of a nearby dam, though officials have not confirmed this claim.
Bodies have reportedly been carried as far as Rabba—an hour’s drive from Mokwa—underscoring the sheer power of the floodwaters. District head Muhammadu Aliyu added that some remains have been lost entirely in the River Niger, rendering recovery impossible.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has begun distributing relief items to affected communities. It acknowledged that infrastructure—including roads and bridges—was severely impacted, affecting both mobility and the local economy.
The Nigerian Red Cross also issued a statement, describing the floods as a disaster causing “significant loss of life and widespread distress.”
Flooding during Nigeria’s rainy season (April to October) is common, but this disaster is among the deadliest in recent years. In 2024, heavy rains caused fatal flooding across the country. In 2022, more than 600 people died and over 1.3 million were displaced by similar events.
As Mokwa begins the grim process of recovery and burial, communities across Nigeria are left grappling with rising climate risks, poor infrastructure, and inadequate early warning systems.