Nigeria: 158 Deaths From Floods in Western Nigeria
Disaster after the floodings in Mokwa, Nigeria, about 180 miles west of the capital Abuja. Photo: X
May 31, 2025 Hour: 5:32 pm
The number of deaths from flooding in Nigeria on Thursday amounted to 158 people, local authorities confirmed on Saturday, a catastrophe hit hard the village of Kpege, in the local government area of Mokwa, located in the state of Niger (West).
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According to Ibrahim Hussein, spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Agency (NSEMA), 158 bodies have been recovered following an unspecified incident and warns that the number could increase as search and rescue operations are still ongoing, with bodies found in the Niger River and many people reported missing.
NSEMA Director-General Abdullahi Baba-Arah revealed that the disaster affected 503 homes and completely destroyed 265. In addition, 3,018 people were forcibly displaced by the waters.
Nigeria’s National Emergency Agency (NEMA) reported 100 deaths from a disaster, while the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) reported 97 deaths, 20 missing and 45 injured, affecting some 1,500 people. NEMA distributed food, utensils, tents and drinking water to the victims, and treated the wounded in health centres.
Last year, up to September, the floods claimed the lives of 269 people and displaced more than 640,000, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). In 2022, the country experienced its worst flood disaster in a decade, with 600 deaths.
For his part, the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressed his “deep concern” and “sincere condolences” to the affected families and the people of Niger State.
The president assured that “all relevant federal agencies have been mobilized to support the efforts of the State Government” and promised that “no Nigerian affected by this disaster will be abandoned or disappear.”
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, recurrently faces floods due to torrential rains and overflowing rivers, a situation that is aggravated by the deterioration of its infrastructure and the effects of climate change.
Source: teleSURtv.net // EFE
