Nigeria’s Emergency Management Agency Reports 165 Dead, 120,000 in 19 Flood Ravage States
The agency, in its latest data dashboard update penultimate Friday, revealed that the floods have impacted 119,791 people, with 43,936 displaced from their homes.
At least 138 people sustained injuries, while 8,594 houses and 8,278 farmlands have been destroyed across 43 Local Government Areas in 19 states.
Children and women account for the majority of victims, with NEMA reporting 53,314 children, 36,573 women, 24,600 men, 5,304 elderly persons, and 1,863 people with disabilities affected.
The worst-hit states include Imo, Rivers, Abia, Borno, and Kaduna, though widespread destruction has been recorded in Abia, the FCT, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Rivers, and Sokoto.
While flooding is an annual menace in Nigeria, this year’s impact is drawing comparisons to the catastrophic 2022 floods, which claimed over 600 lives and displaced more than 1.4 million people.
Experts fear that without urgent infrastructure upgrades and stronger disaster-prevention measures, the country could face worsening humanitarian crises in the coming years, especially with climate change intensifying rainfall patterns.
NEMA has urged residents in flood-prone areas to heed early warnings and relocate to safer grounds, while calling on state governments and humanitarian partners to scale up relief efforts.