Seven more bodies of children were discovered in Mokwa, Niger State, as rescue and recovery efforts continued six days after the town was hit by a deadly flood. The disaster, which has left widespread devastation in its wake, has already claimed over 160 lives and displaced hundreds of residents.
Officials from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that four bodies were recovered on Monday evening, followed by three more on Tuesday. According to the agency’s Director General, Abdullahi Baba Arah, the retrieval efforts have been difficult, as many victims were buried under heavy debris.
“Five more dead bodies were recovered. Four were found yesterday evening (Monday), while one was recovered this morning (Tuesday),” Arah said. He added that two more were found later in the day along the Mokwa-Raba road, raising the total death toll to 160 by Tuesday afternoon.
However, the state’s Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Suleiman, shared a grimmer picture during a live interview. He noted that over 200 bodies had been found so far and stressed that many more were still unaccounted for. “Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger State right now because up till now, we are still looking for some corpses,” he said.
Adding to the tragedy, an 18-seater commercial bus was reportedly swept into the River Niger by the floodwaters. A resident, Baba Abu, recounted the scene, saying the driver had waited for the water to subside, but the volume suddenly increased and dragged the vehicle away. Neither the bus nor its passengers have been found.
