Thu 19 June 2025:
Over 700 people from the Mokwa community have still been missing in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State since the country saw devastating floods three weeks ago, local media reported on Wednesday.
The Niger State’s Governor Umaru Bago told reporters the state recorded at least 207 deaths from the recent flooding, according to the Daily Trust.
On May 29, the Mokwa Local Government area, a key commercial link between southern traders and northern agricultural producers, experienced severe flooding after three days of non-stop rain.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the National Emergency Management Agency and security forces to intensify search-and-rescue operations in the affected communities, while Governor Bago said over 3,000 households have been displaced.
“Over 700 persons are still missing and we are yet to ascertain where they are. The flooding has caused extensive damage,” he said.
He added that 283 houses and 50 shops were also completely destroyed.
The governor also said the state government worked with professional organizations to determine the root cause of the flood damage and is awaiting assessment results.
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Nigeria’s devastating floods are driven by a mix of natural and human factors. Heavy rainfall, intensified by climate change, overwhelms rivers like the Niger and Benue, causing widespread flooding, especially during the rainy season from April to October.
Poor urban planning, inadequate drainage systems, and unregulated construction on floodplains exacerbate the damage. The release of excess water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam, without a corresponding buffer dam in Nigeria, has been a recurring trigger, notably in 2012 and 2022.
Historically, the 2012 floods displaced 2.3 million and killed 363, while 2022’s floods, the worst in a decade, killed over 600 and displaced 1.4 million, destroying homes and farmland. Recent 2025 floods in Mokwa killed over 200, with climate change making such events 80 times more likely. Deforestation, poverty, and weak infrastructure leave millions vulnerable, amplifying the crisis annually.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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