Torrential rains triggered devastating floods in Mokwa, Niger State, killing at least 111 people in the early hours of Thursday, local officials said. The town, a major agricultural hub in northern Nigeria, saw homes submerged and entire neighborhoods swept away by surging waters.
Authorities fear the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continue. “More bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted,” said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesman for Niger State’s emergency agency.
Mokwa, located roughly 380 kilometers (236 miles) west of Abuja, is a central marketplace where farmers from the north sell goods like beans and onions to southern traders. The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency has not yet disclosed the exact amount of rainfall, but the deluge was enough to inundate large parts of the town.
Residents shared harrowing scenes on social media showing brown floodwaters engulfing homes, with only rooftops visible. Some locals were seen wading through waist-deep water, trying to salvage belongings or assist others.
“We lost many lives and our farm produce. Those who stored food have lost everything,” said Kazeem Muhammed, a Mokwa resident.
Community leader Aliki Musa described the scale of the disaster as unprecedented. “The water is like spiritual water… it can come now and not return for another twenty years,” he said.
Local government chairman Jibril Muregi called for urgent flood-control infrastructure, telling Premium Times that such measures are “essential to mitigating future flood risks and protecting lives and property.”
Northern Nigeria is increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes—prolonged dry spells followed by sudden, heavy rains. Experts warn that such climate-induced disasters are becoming more frequent and deadly.
In a similar incident last September, heavy rainfall and a dam collapse in Maiduguri caused flooding that killed at least 30 people and displaced millions already affected by the Boko Haram conflict.
