A devastating flood hit the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa communities in Mokwa, Niger State, late Wednesday night, May 28, killing many residents and leaving over 50 almajirai missing. Among the dead were twelve members of one family, while countless houses were destroyed.
Mokwa, a busy hub for travelers and heavy vehicles, faced one of its worst floods in recent memory. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency confirmed 21 deaths, but locals believe the toll exceeds 60. A student from Niger State College of Health Technology named Binta, visiting for the holidays, was among those whose bodies were recovered.
Hajiya Hassana Mokwa, a resident, shared her family’s painful loss. She revealed that 12 out of 13 family members in her brother’s household died, with only one survivor currently hospitalized. She also reported the death of many pupils in a Quranic school owned by her cousin, where the entire building was submerged and destroyed. The exact number of victims trapped in the rubble remains unknown.
Funerals were ongoing as of the evening following the flood. Another resident, Mallam Hamza Mahmud, lost two family members and still searches for three more. A pregnant woman’s body was recovered, but four of her children remain missing.
Sources say the majority of victims are women and children, with fewer adult men affected. Over 50 pupils from another Quranic school have yet to be found. The community is left grappling with this heartbreaking loss as rescue efforts continue.
