Four days after the devastating flood that swept through Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa communities in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, residents are still frantically searching for bodies of their loved ones to ensure they are given a proper burial.
DAILY POST reports that official figures have already put the death toll at 151, with more than 100 others still missing
The magnitude and suddenness of the disaster shocked the community to its core and left 50 houses destroyed, about 3,018 persons homeless, with many of those affected currently taking refuge at the Mokwa Central Primary School provided by the local government.
The disaster, according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) was triggered by a downpour that lasted several hours, causing homes to be submerged and buildings to collapse.
In an update on Saturday, Niger State Government disclosed that the death toll from the flood had risen from initial 21 on Thursday to 151.
According to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), in a statement by its Director General, Abdullahi Baba Arah, the disaster has also resulted in 11 people sustaining various levels of injuries, 3,018 persons displaced, and 50 households destroyed.
NSEMA also said 265 houses were affected across three communities, two roads washed away, as well as two bridges destroyed
Earlier, Baba-Arah during a visit to the area said the Agency received a report of a deadly flood disaster that ravaged two communities, Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa, in Mokwa town, Mokwa LGA last Thursday.
According to him, “In response, the agency in collaboration with Mokwa local government saw that this flood is beyond our imagination.
“We have never witnessed anything like this before. The people affected are the poorest of the poor, many with large families.
“Even Islamic scholars reside in the affected areas. The corpses of the almajiri haven’t been counted yet because we still don’t have a record of their number.
“We are talking about a large number of people who died. This is not a small area where you can easily count the number of corpses,” he said.
He emphasized that so far, he had personally counted over 40 corpses buried on Friday.
“Even today alone, we discovered more than five. There are still corpses trapped under collapsed buildings,” he stated.
However, eyewitness accounts gave a painful scenario of the development, stating that more than 200 corpses were buried on Friday alone, while many more are still unaccounted for.
This position contradicts NSEMA’s account of recovering 151 bodies on Saturday.
However, they noted that while the road to recovery will be long, their immediate priority remains saving lives and ensuring the dead receive a proper burial.
One of the grieving residents, Alhaji Belle Ibrahim, who lost his entire family in the flood.said, “I am still searching for their remains to give them a proper burial”.
The victim narrated how the floodwaters surged into their home while they were sleeping.
He said in tears, “This is the worst tragedy I have seen in over 35 years of living in Unguwan Hausawa.”
Musa Adamu explained that families are desperately combing through debris and floodwaters with hope of finding their missing loved ones.
According to him, “The exact number of casualties remains uncertain as we are still searching for the bodies of our relatives.”
Hauwa Kudu, a journalist based in Minna, whose relatives live in Tiffin Maza community told our correspondent that, “my auntie’s four children are still not yet found. My auntie was found and buried last night (Friday). My family is still searching for them.”
She further explained that the auntie’s co-wife survived with two out of her four children, while the other two are still missing just as their husband survived because he did not sleep at home on the day of the disaster.
Abdul Ibrahim, said, “We woke up in the morning preparing to go to the farm, when suddenly our house was submerged by flood; we cannot say where it came from.
“The floodwater submerged our house, causing the structure to collapse. We lost our relatives, including children, women and men. It’s so heartbreaking for us.”
Some residents further revealed that the floodwater began rushing in around 6 am on Thursday and before long, overwhelmed Unguwan Hausawa, while most people were still asleep.
The flood was also said to had blocked Tatabu Bridge in Mokea area, which links the North to the South-West, leading to a major traffic gridlock.
The development left motorists heading to Lagos and other southern parts and those heading to the northern part of Nigeria stranded for several hours.
It took the intervention of local authorities in the area who deployed graders to clear the road and restore movement for travellers.
Also, in an interview with the leader of the Hausa community, Mal Tanko Bala, he told DAILY POST that they woke up on Thursday at 7:10 am to a strong floodwater that hit their communities.
“As it is now, we cannot ascertained the number of lives affected.
“We have so far buried over 100 and those we are still searching for are more than 100.
“We have cases where out of a family of 40 only two survived, we are still searching for 38. We had a family of 12- all gone, a family of 10 cannot be accounted for. These persons are still missing and we are still searching for them,” he lamented.
The community leader called on governments to come to the aid of the people who have lost their relatives and homes in the affected communities.
“We have lost lives, property and many more to this flood. We are disturbed and calling on the government at all levels to look into our plights,” he stated.
Niger State Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba during an on-the-spot visit with his team on Friday confirmed that search and rescue operations were ongoing, and that the state government was working round the clock to provide relief materials to the victims.
He called on members of the community to be patient and remain strong in faith as they face the devastating loss.
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, stated that officials were on ground coordinating the response efforts.
She explained that many families have been severely impacted, with some losing multiple members.
Also, leading a federal government delegation on a sympathy visit to the state, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris said President Ahmed Bola Tinubu had been fully briefed on the disaster and was deeply concerned about the loss of lives.
Idris disclosed that the President had directed that all available resources of the Federal Government be deployed to address the situation and that efforts were being made to avert or mitigate the recurring flood disasters in the country.
The Minister also revealed that the National Orientation Agency has been directed to carry out sensitisation campaigns to ensure that people avoid living around river banks.
Malagi also commended the State and other relevant agencies that are assisting in the search operations, saying, “the Federal Government is collaborating to ensure a seamless operation.”
“The immediate priority of the Federal Government is to save lives and provide urgent relief to survivors through NEMA which is ongoing,” he stated.
The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatdo, who is also part of the delegation, pledged to review the situation on the needed areas of support to the IDPs and migrants in order to meet their needs.
Responding, the Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba on behalf of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago stated that efforts were being intensified to ensure the construction of stem water drainage in Mokwa and Mashegu council areas.
The Governor pleaded with the federal government for intervention in the areas of temporary camp and taking assessments of the communities in order to proffer solutions to the menace.
Garba disclosed that the state government had approved for distribution 6,000 bags of rice and other essential materials to cushion the effects of the disaster on the victims.
The situation currently remains dire, with many corpses still trapped under collapsed buildings and especially a large number of almajiri (Quranic school pupils) unaccounted for, even as the government and emergency responders are working tirelessly.
