This is also as about 500 people are still missing.
The death toll from the flooding which sacked Mokwa, a local government in Niger State, has reportedly reached at least 200, according to the latest casualty statistics.
This is also as about 500 people are still missing.
,It was reported that rescue efforts are dwindling as authorities fear there may no longer be any survivors.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that victims of the Mokwa flood disaster in Niger State claimed the devastating incident was not caused by rainfall but by a suspected release of water from the Kainji Dam.
Residents who spoke to SaharaReporters on Friday in Mokwa, the headquarters of Mokwa Local Government Area (LGA), had said the flood, which occurred in the early hours of May 29, 2025, came without heavy rainfall the night before, leading many to believe it was not a natural flood.
Several locals also noted that in the days preceding the disaster, parts of New Bussa town in Borgu LGA of Niger State experienced partial flooding, and some farmers in Mokwa noticed rising water levels across their farmlands but did not anticipate the scale of destruction that followed.
One of the victims, AbdulGafar, who lost everything he had worked for during the flood, insisted the water’s arrival was sudden and unnatural.
“I believe the flood is not as a result of rainfall. If it was rain it would have affected us in the middle of the night or the flood could have come at midnight. It is terrible that we are witnessing this thing in our lives.”
He further explained that although the community had faced serious erosion before, the disaster was unlike anything experienced previously.
“We’ve not had it this bad. We’ve been experiencing erosion, a serious one of that.”
“But this is the worst we’ve ever experienced. And I can categorically say that this is not rain.”
“But water, which we can actually link to the Kainji Dam, because it was a heavy flood that came.”
Another victim, Salihu Suleiman, who also lost all his properties and investments, had emphasised that no heavy rainfall preceded the flood.“
“This flood is not from rain water because there was not that heavy downpour a day before the devastating incident.”
“Around 6am, I and my wife woke up to pray subh prayer (morning prayer) to prayed and went back to sleep and 4 to 5 minutes later my mom came knocking at the door she was shouting come out tell your wife to come out and I rushed out she was like water is coming I should call my wife and I called her we ran we ran out that would not pick anything I came out with only my singlet and boxers alone without picking anything not even my phone.”
SaharaReporters previously reported that the flood submerged houses, washed away farmlands, and left thousands stranded across Mokwa.
The flooding also destroyed over 3000 homes, forcing mass displacement.
The Kainji Dam, located on the Niger River near New Bussa in Niger State, is one of West Africa’s largest dams. It is vital for hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, and water supply in the region.
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