Nigeria’s Deadliest Flood in Decades Kills 200+ in Mokwa

Nigeria is reeling from one of its deadliest natural disasters in decades, as torrential rains triggered catastrophic floods in Mokwa, a central town in Niger State, claiming over 200 lives. Local officials say more than 500 people remain missing, with rescue efforts suspended due to diminishing hopes of finding survivors.

The floods, described by residents and authorities as the worst in 60 years, struck during the early hours of Thursday, sweeping through the districts of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa while most residents were asleep.

Scenes of Devastation

Survivors recount heart-wrenching scenes of destruction. Adamu Yusuf, a 36-year-old father, lost nine family members, including his wife and newborn baby.

“I watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim. It was God that saved me,” he told the BBC.

Others, like Ramat Sulaiman, 65, lost their homes and entire communities. She reported that 100 children sheltering in a Quranic school nearby were swept away.

“They cried for help, but no one could do anything. As their cries got louder, their building sunk and flowed away,” she said.

Floodwaters Wreak Havoc

Authorities and residents suspect that the unprecedented scale of flooding may be linked to a possible dam failure, although officials have yet to confirm this. Bodies were reportedly carried more than 10 kilometres downstream, with corpses found as far as the town of Rabba.

Mokwa’s Deputy Chairman, Musa Kimboku, told the BBC that residents in neighbouring villages were instructed to bury any corpses found, while District Head Muhammadu Aliyu said some bodies were unrecoverable as they had been carried into the River Niger.

At least 3,000 people have been displaced and over 265 houses destroyed, according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA). The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed relief materials and set up temporary resettlement camps.

President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences and pledged continued support, stating:

“Relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay.”

Root Causes: Climate Change and Poor Infrastructure

Nigeria’s government has acknowledged that climate change played a significant role in intensifying the rainfall and overwhelming drainage systems. Ibrahim Hussaini, Acting Director-General of the Niger State emergency agency, highlighted deforestation, unregulated urban sprawl, and blocked waterways as exacerbating factors.

“Areas that were never previously prone to flooding are now being flooded,” Hussaini said.

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) had previously identified Mokwa and other parts of Niger State as high-risk zones in its 2025 flood outlook. Despite this, progress on planned mitigation infrastructure has been slow. A $10 million World Bank-supported drainage project was approved but had not begun construction before the disaster.

“This flooding is a result of climate change, which is affecting the frequency and intensity of rainfall,” said Ugonna Nkwunonwo, a flood risk analyst at the University of Nigeria. “We are getting annual rainfall totals in a matter of weeks.”

A Call for Proactive Adaptation

Experts and civil society are urging the government to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive climate adaptation. While Nigeria developed a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) framework in 2020, the full plan remains unpublished.

Climate advocate Lucky Abeng noted the lack of local disaster awareness:

“Beyond national forecasts, we need climate education at the grassroots. Communities need to understand risk and have local champions who can communicate in dialects people trust.”

A government official working on the NAP said once finalised, it would integrate adaptation priorities across sectors—including roads, housing, and health—along with recommendations for flood insurance and community resilience funds.

Recurring Tragedies

Flooding has become a grim fixture of Nigeria’s annual rainy season. In 2022, over 600 people died and 1.4 million were displaced. The 2024 season also brought widespread destruction. Climate scientists warn that these events will intensify as warming continues.

This latest disaster in Mokwa not only underscores the deep human cost of climate inaction but highlights the urgent need for political will, infrastructural reform, and community-level preparedness.