Flood: Bago confirms 207 dead, 700 missing in Mokwa

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has said 207 people died in the recent flooding tragedy at Mokwa Local Government Area.

The last official figure released by the State Emergency Management Agency stood at 163, with over 3,000 people displaced.

The governor disclosed this on Wednesday when a former Chief Security Officer to the late military dictator, Gen Sani Abacha, paid a condolence visit to the state.

Bago, represented by the Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, also said 700 people were still missing and could not be accounted for.

“207 people had been confirmed dead and over 3,000 households displaced.

“Over 700 persons are still missing and we are yet to ascertain where they are.

The flooding has caused extensive damage,” Bago said.

The governor noted that the flood caused extensive damage with 400 houses damaged while 283 houses and 50 shops were destroyed.

He expressed gratitude to individuals and corporate organisations for their donations and contributions, noting that the incident was a national disaster.

Bago said the government was working with professional organisations to determine the root cause of the flood.

The governor also said more than 50 per cent of the Mokwa flood victims were non-indigenes.

Speaking with representatives of Veritas University who visited the state to donate relief materials, the governor stressed that the tragedy had a national outlook, due to the spread of victims across various ethnicities in the country.

Al-Mustapha said the visit was to sympathise with the government and the people of Mokwa, following the devastating flood incident.

“We are here to register our condolences over the flood incident that happened in Mokwa, looking at the heavy losses and its impact on the state.

“We will meet with the traditional council, especially the chairman in Mokwa, and pray that the incident doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Al-Mustapha also stated that the delegation comprised influential individuals from various parts of the country who came to offer sympathy and support to the state government and the affected communities.