Nigeria Flood Death Toll Climbs to 151

Editorial : fatima Babadin

Confirm a devastating rise in lives lost as floods ravaged Niger State last week, with officials now reporting 151 fatalities. State emergency director Ibrahim Audu Hussaini provided the updated toll to Reuters on Saturday, a significant increase from the 117 deaths reported just the day before. Force the disaster, striking the central town of Mokwa last Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday morning, has driven several thousand residents from their homes.

Meanwhile, rescue teams continue their grim search through mud and debris days after the floodwaters hit, still seeking victims. Impact over 500 households directly, the disaster has displaced more than 3,000 people across the affected region, according to Hussaini’s assessment from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.

Furthermore, this tragedy highlights Nigeria’s recurring vulnerability during its annual rainy season, which commenced in April.
Recall the country endured its worst flooding in over a decade just two years prior in 2022, an event claiming over 600 lives, displacing approximately 1.4 million individuals, and destroying vast swathes of farmland exceeding 440,000 hectares.