Abuja: The death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods in Nigeria has surpassed 200, according to local officials, with hundreds still missing as rescue efforts continue. The flooding, described as one of the worst in recent history, struck several parts of Niger State, particularly the town of Mokwa, where over 250 homes were destroyed in a single night.
The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in Niger State confirmed the rising death toll and stated that the search for missing persons is still underway. Although initial government figures reported 150 fatalities, local accounts suggest the actual number is significantly higher.
Residents in Mokwa are grappling with the aftermath of the disaster. Some families claim to have lost more than a dozen relatives in the deluge. Speaking to Nigerian broadcast media, local resident Ahmed Suleiman alleged that over 200 people have died in Niger State alone, criticizing the lack of transparency in official reporting. “No one is giving us accurate information about the deaths. We are still searching for those swept away by the floods,” he said.
Even a week after the floods, the government has not released final figures on the number of missing or deceased. The disaster is being labeled more destructive than the 2024 floods, which claimed 321 lives nationwide. Authorities warn that the death toll may rise significantly as more bodies are recovered.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had issued flood alerts in 15 of the country’s 36 states just days before the disaster. Experts say climate change is causing drastic weather shifts in Nigeria, making such extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
Residents, cited by AFP, said that water levels continue to rise, and infrastructure such as railway tracks has also been affected. However, environmental factors are not the only contributors to the devastation. Poor urban planning, such as the construction of mud houses along water routes and inadequate drainage systems, has worsened the impact.
Volunteers and emergency response teams have retrieved dozens of bodies from the River Niger, some of them discovered nearly 10 kilometers downstream from Mokwa.
While government officials claim relief supplies and emergency assistance have been delivered to affected communities, locals dispute these assertions. Many say they have yet to receive any form of aid from the authorities.
