At least 151 people have died and more than 3,000 others have been displaced after devastating floods swept through the town of Mokwa in Nigeria's northern Niger state, officials confirmed Saturday. The disaster struck following hours of heavy rainfall that began early Thursday, inundating homes and submerging entire neighborhoods while residents were asleep.
Ibrahim Hussaini, spokesperson for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said 151 bodies, including those of "many children," were recovered by 9 a.m. Saturday.
The floods hit the Kpege neighborhood and other parts of Mokwa with such force that entire households were swept away. Hassan Abdullahi, a 26-year-old resident, said he lost nine family members, including his mother and several young nieces and nephews. "We lost everything. Even a single cloth and shoe, we don't have. Where to sleep, we don't have. We are in serious pain," he told CNN.
According to emergency officials, at least 500 households were affected across three communities. Witnesses reported water levels waist-deep and rooftops barely visible.
President Bola Tinubu announced that he had ordered the activation of Nigeria's national emergency response center. "Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, and all relevant federal agencies have been mobilized to support the state government's efforts," Tinubu said in a statement. "Relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay."
Northern Nigeria is prone to severe seasonal flooding. Last year, over 200 people died and nearly 400,000 were displaced during weeks of flooding across the region. In 2022, the country recorded its worst flooding in over a decade, leaving more than 600 dead and displacing over a million people nationwide.
