Sat 31 May 2025:
Torrential rains unleashed catastrophic flooding in Mokwa, Niger State, Nigeria, claiming over 100 lives and displacing hundreds of thousands, authorities reported.
The relentless downpour struck late Wednesday, continuing for hours and sweeping away numerous homes through Thursday. Mokwa, a vital hub connecting southern traders and northern food producers, has been severely impacted.
According to Ibrahim Audu Husseini, Niger state’s Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, “about 110 bodies have been recovered from the devastating floods.”
He told Anadolu that rescue efforts were intensified to ensure more lives are not lost. “We are doing everything possible to respond to the needs of those affected,” he added.
Locals said hundreds of homes, markets, farmlands, and infrastructure, were submerged in water.
“This is the worst flood I have experienced in the five years that I came to Mokwa. I have no home to sleep,” said Habeen Suleiman, a trader affected by the flood.
Earlier in the day, the National Emergency Management Agency engaged stakeholders in Niger on early preparedness and mitigation strategies against floods.
The campaign, themed “Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Preparedness and Response,” brought together key actors in the disaster management ecosystem to deliberate on actionable steps to strengthen local responses to recurrent flooding.
The floods have also increased the risk of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and malaria, with many people struggling to access clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.
As Nigeria’s rainy season begins, typically lasting for six months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria’s 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday.
The most concerning thing about these floods is “this isn’t even the peak of the rainy season,” said Idris. “In some states, the rains have only been there for a month and yet we’re seeing this.”
However, scientists have warned that the effects of climate change are already being felt, as extreme weather patterns are becoming more frequent.
The heavy rainfall causes problems for Nigeria every year as it destroys infrastructure and is further exacerbated by inadequate drainage.
In September 2024, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern Maiduguri city caused severe flooding, killing at least 30 people and displacing millions.
Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of 36 states, in one of the country’s worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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