Several states have also commenced measures to arrest flooding, with Nasarawa, Anambra, Borno, Kebbi and Bayelsa government planning to evacuate residents to prevent loss of lives and property.
The Federal Government announced in April that no fewer than 1,249 communities in 176 local governments across 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory would witness heavy flooding between April and November, 2025.
This comes as residents of Mokwa Local Government Area in Niger State on Sunday expressed fears of a disease outbreak as two more bodies were recovered beneath one of the bridges swept away by the devastating flood that hit the LG, bringing the total death toll to 153.
The Mokwa flood has receded, but residents, who are still searching for missing persons, lamented the putrid stench of decaying corpses, which has sparked fears of a disease outbreak.
A resident of Mokwa, Alhassan Kolo, said they recovered two corpses on Sunday, which have become almost unrecognisable due to decay. He said the corpses were a little girl and an adult male.
Kolo said, “We are still in search of more bodies. These bodies in particular, you can’t even recognise them anymore. The water has receded but we are battling with sand now. As we dig the sand we discover property and human beings.
“The only people that came here are Christians and Jebba Dam people. Also, the NEMA people came here. This morning I was away and somebody called me that they were giving them N20,000 each.
“The smell coming from where they recovered the corpses is terrible. The whole place smells badly and the government should act quickly before it will result into disease.” he said.
However, the Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Secondary and Tertiary Health, Idris Ibrahim, said the ministry was working with SEMA and ready for any emergency.
“We are collaborating with NSEMA, that is what we are doing presently. We are watching what they are doing. They are giving us information every now and then so we are set if there is anything, we spring into action.
“The ministry of health is following up, we are working with them, so, I don’t think there is any cause for alarm. There is sensitisation given to the displaced persons, we are going to deployed some cholera test kits.
“We have discussed with NSEMA, they know what to put in place. It is because of the escalation that the governor is concerned about getting them a better place. All hands are on deck and anything that comes up we are ready to arrest it in the early stage,” Ibrahim said.
The Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, gave an update of the Mokwa flood disaster. According to him, two more dead bodies were recovered under the bridge late on Saturday and were buried Sunday morning.
“Mokwa: Death 153, Affected population 3018, Household 503, Injured 11, broken Bridges 3,” he wrote.
Also, Niger SEMA spokesman, Hussein Ibrahim, confirmed the two recovered corpses, saying that the total number of corpses recovered had risen to 153.
“We are aware of the two corpses. There is an update of another community in Mokwa, Ndawko, they are also affected, though there is no death recorded there, but there are houses and property destroyed there,” Ibrahim told The PUNCH.
“There are a number of houses and properties affected and we are trying to put them together as the update. Then there is Rabba, the bridge there, they recover corpses there. Five houses were destroyed there, though there is no death.
“So, two dead bodies were recovered under the bridge, that bridge that got broken. So, we now have 153 corpses,” Ibrahim said.
Kolo also spoke on the conditions of displaced persons and the relief provided by the state government
“The Mokwa Primary School, where the displaced persons are kept, can never be comfortable. You know how our schools are these days, very terrible.
“Yes, the government brought bags of rice and other things. What I don’t understand is that whenever they bring these things, they just take photos with them and take them away.
“I don’t know why they are not distributing them to the victims. Our Senator here gave us N2m. Senator Peter Ndajikali, he is a PDP aspirant. Another aspirant also donated N2m to the victims, he is an SDP aspirant for the House of Reps.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, had in April identified “high flood-risk” states as Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo and Jigawa.
Others are Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT.
The minister raised concerns that flooding remains one of the devastating natural disasters in Nigeria, with climate change accelerating its frequency and severity.
He also predicted that coastal and riverine areas such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers and Ondo would experience flooding due to the rise in sea level and tidal surge, and this would impact fishing, wildlife habitation and river navigation.
The PUNCH
