In a heart-wrenching tragedy that has plunged Niger State into mourning, no fewer than 115 persons have been confirmed dead and dozens declared missing following a catastrophic flood disaster that ravaged the Mokwa community after days of relentless rainfall.
The calamity, triggered by torrential downpours that began late Wednesday and stretched into Thursday morning, caused the mighty River Niger to burst its banks, unleashing a powerful torrent that swept through Mokwa, toppling homes, uprooting farmlands, and dragging helpless residents into its deadly currents.
Spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ibrahim Audu Husseini, confirmed the rising death toll in an interview with AFP.
> “We have so far recovered 115 bodies, and more are expected, as the floodwaters carried victims over a great distance into the River Niger. Bodies are still being recovered downstream, so the toll continues to rise,” Husseini lamented.
According to officials and eyewitness accounts, the scale of destruction is unprecedented. Over 3,000 homes have been flattened, leaving thousands of residents homeless, with many now crammed into makeshift shelters or huddled in open spaces, vulnerable and in despair.
Early reports by SaharaReporters had hinted at the enormity of the disaster, noting that entire households were swept away, and that submerged houses, ruined farmlands, and scattered belongings painted a grim picture of a once-thriving community now reduced to ruins.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the morning light revealed bodies scattered across the waterlogged terrain, while survivors frantically searched for loved ones.
> “It was like a war zone,” a resident recounted. “Children were crying, houses were gone, people were screaming for help. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Emergency response teams, led by NSEMA and other agencies, have since been deployed to the area, mounting rescue efforts and providing limited aid to the affected population.
NSEMA’s Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Ibrahim, assured the public that rescue operations are ongoing and that every effort is being made to locate missing persons and support the displaced.
> “We are actively working to save lives and recover the missing. The situation is overwhelming, but we are doing all we can,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are growing calls for urgent intervention from both state and federal authorities, as fears mount over the potential outbreak of waterborne diseases and the humanitarian needs of the displaced.
As Mokwa battles to stay afloat amid the wreckage, this tragedy has once again brought to the fore the pressing realities of climate change, poor infrastructure, and the fragile state of Nigeria’s emergency preparedness systems.
PIONEER NEWS 