The Village Head of Mokwa in Niger State, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu Saba, has affirmed that the Federal Government has commenced fulfilment of its promises to the people of Mokwa following the recent flood disaster that devastated the community.
He disclosed this during an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, 6th June 2025, a day after Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima paid a one-day visit to Mokwa to assess the situation. The Vice President’s visit came after a federal survey team evaluated the flood-affected areas, initiating efforts to restore electricity and dispatch excavators to clear debris and recover the bodies of flood victims for proper burial.
Alhaji Saba, also known as the Ndalile of Mokwa in the local Nupe dialect, confirmed these developments and expressed gratitude to the Federal, State, and Local Governments, as well as individuals and organisations that have extended support to the victims. He described their assistance—both monetary and material—as timely and compassionate.
In his words, “I’m specifically very grateful to the Federal Government, represented by His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima and his entourage, and I believe that all the promises made to us last Wednesday on behalf of the Federal Government shall be fulfilled.”
He extended appreciation to the Niger State Government, Mokwa Local Government Council, and organisations such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for their prompt collaboration in setting up search and rescue teams after the flood struck at about 7:05 a.m. on 29th May 2025.
Recounting the scale of the disaster, the Village Head lamented that over 200 people were confirmed dead, with many more unaccounted for as the floodwaters swept into the River Niger. He noted the peculiar nature of the tragedy, emphasising that Mokwa has no river cutting through it, making the flash flood both unprecedented and mysterious.
He said, “No, we don’t have a river that cuts across Mokwa. But all of a sudden, we saw a flood in the town in which no history can describe it because we saw this flood, many houses were submerged, many lives were lost and we lost more than 200 persons… We cannot specifically say how many people are dead.”
According to him, an 18-seater bus travelling from the southern part of the country was also caught in the flood and swept away into the River Niger, with no news of survivors or recoveries yet. Some corpses, however, were retrieved downstream by the search and rescue teams.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Alhaji Saba said, “As a Muslim, we take this as an act of God and only God knows why it happened.”
He also highlighted the collapse of four key bridges in the area, including the Nigerian Railway Corporation bridge, Goodwill Bridge, the College of Agriculture Bridge (also known as Raba Bridge), and the main bridge linking the North and South. He appealed to the Federal Government for urgent reconstruction of these bridges to restore connectivity and economic activity.
Speaking on the government’s response, he confirmed that federal officials had stayed behind in Mokwa to begin surveying and excavation work in the affected areas. He stressed that no one would be able to live in the devastated zones again due to the offensive odours and the likely presence of unrecovered bodies beneath the rubble.
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He said, “Definitely, nobody will live in the affected places again… Obviously some people must have been buried under the ground and they were not yet discovered.”
Urging residents to take solace in their faith, he added, “Most of us are Muslims and we are supposed to take solemn in the Almighty Allah… Even if they were in their houses or somewhere else, if God had wished they must die that day, it would still have happened.”
Alhaji Saba expressed optimism about the relief efforts and praised the distribution of food supplies, which he said was being done fairly and evenly. However, he emphasised that what remains critical now is the resettlement of displaced residents and the complete evacuation of the disaster zones to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.
He concluded by calling for sustained support and attention from all tiers of government and humanitarian agencies to fully rehabilitate the community and avert future tragedies.
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