At least 150 killed after heavy flooding in Nigeria

Torrents of water that barrelled through a market town in Nigeria’s north-central state of Niger this week have now killed at least 151 people, officials said on Saturday.

Heavy rain that began falling early on Thursday submerged the town of Mokwa, a major trading and transportation hub west of Abuja, where traders buy beans, onions and other food. The deluge washed away sections of roads and bridges and left some buildings almost entirely underwater.

On Friday, the death count rapidly soared from 21 to more than 100. As search efforts continued on Saturday, the number climbed again to 151, spokesperson for Niger State emergency service Ibrahim Audu Husseini said.

And it inflicted further misery still, injuring at least 11 and displacing more than 3,000 people, while some are still unaccounted for. Mohamed Adow, director of Kenya-based thinktank Power Shift Africa, called it a "cruel irony" that parts of Africa can be "baked dry and then suffer from floods that destroy lives and livelihoods".

He told Sky News: "The terrible floods in Nigeria are another reminder that Africa stands on the front line of the climate crisis." Polluting countries must "urgently" slash fossil fuel emissions that drive climate change and target climate funding at those who need it most, Mr Adow added. Residents have been picking their way through the wreckage and lamenting the loss of lives and livelihoods.

Kazeem Muhammed said: "We lost many lives, and the properties, our farm produce. Those that have their storage, have lost it." Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said he has directed the activation of the national emergency response centre to assist the state quickly.

"Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, and all relevant federal agencies have been mobilised to support the state government's efforts," President Tinubu said in a late night message. "Relief materials and temporary shelter assistance are being deployed without delay.

We will ensure that no Nigerian affected by this disaster is left behind or unheard of." In February, the UK government announced a cut to the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income from 2027, to pay for increased defence spending. It followed other cuts by the previous government, and NGOs warn countries, including Nigeria, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe, will be hit hardest.

Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy and advocacy at Bond, the UK network for NGOs, said: "The cuts to UK aid, alongside reductions in humanitarian and development funding by countries around the world, undermine our capacity to support countries like Nigeria - those that have contributed the least to the climate crisis but are suffering its worst impacts." "We urgently need an impact assessment of the UK aid cuts." A UK government spokesperson said it "remains fully committed to making the world a safer and more prosperous place which is why the prime minister has announced that defence spending will rise to 2.5% by 2027 - the largest rise since the Cold War". "We will continue to play a key humanitarian role globally, including on tackling climate change," the spokesperson added.

Read more:The furious rise of climate whiplashMore than 40% of Europe in droughtMore than 90 wildfires out of control in Canada What causes Nigeria's flooding? Flooding is common in Nigeria in the rainy season, which began in April. On Friday, local officials said poor infrastructure had exacerbated the recent damage, appealing for "long overdue" construction of waterways in the area to begin.

But climate change adds an extra layer of danger. That's because hotter air can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it rains harder.

Community leader Aliki Musa said Mokwa people are not used to such flooding. Heavy flooding that killed hundreds of people in Nigeria during 2022 was made at least 80 times more likely and 20% more intense by climate change, scientists at World Weather Attribution found..