The Niger State Government has confirmed that more than 200 bodies have been recovered following devastating floods that ravaged Mokwa Local Government Area of the state.
Niger State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Suleiman, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television's 'The Morning Brief' show on Tuesday, emphasizing that recovery efforts are still ongoing.
"We are still recovering corpses up till now. Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger State right now because up till now, we are still looking for some corpses," Suleiman stated.
Emergency Response Activated
According to the commissioner, Governor Umar Bago's administration has activated an emergency response mechanism and directed the distribution of relief materials to displaced victims currently housed in makeshift camps.
"The Niger State Government has put things in place, and there are lots of contributions from various agencies and ministries. The damage on the ground now—you cannot get it on social media except by visiting the scenes. There is lots of damage at the moment," he explained.
The state government has already sent trailers loaded with rice to the affected victims. Additionally, the governor's wife visited the local government area on Monday and donated ₦50 million to support relief efforts.
Scale of Devastation
The commissioner emphasized that the extent of damage caused by the floods is severe and cannot be fully captured through social media, urging people to visit the affected areas to understand the magnitude of the disaster.
The Mokwa flood disaster has drawn attention from various quarters, with the federal government mourning the victims and mobilizing relief efforts. Public figures, including Peter Obi, have expressed sympathy to the Niger State government and flood victims.
There are also concerns about potential fuel scarcity in Abuja and Northern Nigeria as a result of the disaster, with petroleum marketers associations PETROAN and IPMAN already responding to the situation.
As recovery and relief operations continue, authorities are working to address both the immediate humanitarian needs and the longer-term implications of this catastrophic flooding event.
