At least 110 people have died following torrential rains and severe flooding in Mokwa town, central Nigeria, according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema).
The disaster, which unfolded after several hours of unrelenting rainfall, wreaked havoc across Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts, where entire households were submerged and swept away by fast-moving waters.
“Over 50 residential houses with their occupants were washed away,” said Abullahi Baba-Arah, Nsema’s director general. He described the floods as one of the worst in recent history.
The District Head of Mokwa, Muhammad Shaba Aliyu, emotionally recounted the scale of devastation, saying,
“It’s been 60 years since our community saw such flooding. I beg the government to support us.”
This tragedy marks a grim beginning to Nigeria’s 2025 rainy season, already raising alarm among climate experts and humanitarian agencies.
Flooding is a recurrent disaster in Nigeria. In 2024, several regions in the country’s north faced deadly rains that displaced thousands.
The 2022 floods remain the most catastrophic in recent memory — claiming over 600 lives and displacing 1.3 million people.
Local authorities and traditional leaders are urgently appealing to the Nigerian federal government, humanitarian organizations, and international partners to:
