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At least 115 people have died following devastating flash floods that struck central Nigeria, with emergency officials warning that the death toll is likely to increase as search operations continue.
The flooding, triggered by torrential rainfall from late Wednesday into Thursday, swept through Mokwa and surrounding areas in Niger State, destroying homes and submerging communities situated near the banks of the River Niger.
According to Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesperson for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, rescuers are still retrieving bodies, many of which were swept downstream or buried beneath the ruins of collapsed buildings.
“We have so far recovered 115 bodies, but more are expected as the flood travelled from a distance and carried people into the River Niger,” he told AFP. “Bodies are still being discovered downstream. The toll keeps rising.”
Entire families have been affected. In one instance, only four members of a 12-person household had been located by Friday.
Husseini said rescue workers may need excavators to retrieve more victims from under rubble, while the Red Cross reported at least 78 people had been injured and were receiving treatment in hospital.
Local media also reported thousands of residents had been displaced, while around 50 children from a local Islamic school were feared missing.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described the disaster as an “unprecedented flood”, and both the police and military have been deployed to support rescue and relief operations.
An AFP journalist in Mokwa observed emergency teams and residents digging through the ruins of flattened homes as floodwaters continued to flow through the area.
More than 5,000 people have reportedly been rendered homeless, and the Red Cross confirmed that two key bridges in Mokwa had been destroyed, severely hampering access.
Children were seen playing in stagnant floodwaters, raising concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases. Nearby, two victims lay covered in banana leaves and traditional cloth.
The flooding comes at the start of Nigeria’s six-month rainy season and is part of a pattern of deadly floods that hit the country each year due to poor infrastructure and extreme weather. Experts say climate change is intensifying such disasters. Inadequate drainage, housing construction on water paths, and indiscriminate dumping of waste all contribute to the devastation.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned earlier in the week of potential flash floods across 15 states, including Niger.
In 2024, Nigeria saw one of its worst flood seasons in decades, with more than 1,200 deaths and 1.2 million people displaced across 31 of its 36 states, according to NEMA.
