Flood Claimed 241 Lives in 2025 – NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has revealed that no fewer than 241 lives were lost in different floods across the country in 2025.

According to NEMA, this was a sharp decline compared to the over 1,000 flood-related deaths that were recorded in Nigeria in 2024.

NEMA Assistant Director of Planning, ​Dapo Akingboade, disclosed this in Abuja during an After-Action Review (AAR) of the 2025 climate-related disasters in Nigeria.

Akingboade noted that the number of people displaced and affected by floods across Nigeria decreased in 2025 compared to 2024.

He said over five million people were affected by flooding in 2024, adding that the number dropped to less than 500,000 in 2025.

The number of displaced persons fell from over one million to approximately 58,000 within the same period. The number of states affected in 2025 also reduced, in contrast with the 2024 figures. He said 27 states were affected in 2025 across 128 local government areas, an improvement from 35 states in 2024.

The NEMA official lauded the early dissemination of forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the translation of early warning messages into three Nigerian languages to reach grassroots communities.

​”We were able to achieve this great feat in 2025 through collective responsibility and improved data coordination,” said Akingboade.

​”The early dissemination and release of the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) from NiMet was very valuable, as it allowed us to conduct simulation exercises and increase public awareness campaigns across various media.”

Nigeria has been experiencing repeated and worsening floods in recent years, with major events affecting large parts of the country.

In 2024 and 2025, heavy rainfall led to widespread flooding that caused significant loss of life, displacement, and damage to homes and infrastructure.

One devastating flood that hit Nigeria was the 2025 Mokwa flood in Niger State, where heavy rain and infrastructure failures resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, thousands of homes destroyed, communities submerged, and many missing.

According to Akingboade, lingering challenges, which include poor drainage maintenance, residents in high-risk areas refusing to evacuate, and limited access to certain communities during peak flooding, are to blame for flooding-related casualties in Nigeria.