The Niger State Government on Monday said the death toll in last week’s Mokwa, Niger State flood disaster has risen from 153 to 200.
It also revealed that 1,000 residents of the three Mokwa communities ravaged by the flood have not been found.
Over 3,000 others were displaced, and 2,000 houses destroyed.
Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba reeled out the figures when he received Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, at the Government House in Minna.
Obi was in the state to condole with the government and the people over the disaster.
The deputy governor said the most important issue at the moment is the fate of the missing persons whose relatives are desperately searching for them.
He added that there are fears that the death toll might still rise.
His words: “If we say this is the number today, the next day you see the number going up again. But I know from the people that there were people displaced, and nobody has seen them.
“For now, we don’t know where they are. Those people have actually been swept away by water. We have reviewed house-to-house and based on that, the number of people that are yet to be seen is more than 1,000.
“But the dead that have been seen are close to 200 now. And the displaced persons are more than 3,000 plus and the affected direct properties are more than 2,000.
‘’There are some roads that were washed away. About three bridges collapsed.’’
Obi, who donated N20 million to the state government, explained that his visit was to show solidarity.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and the quick recovery of the hospitalised survivors.
He said: “We felt that we had to physically visit here and show solidarity because whatever happened here happened to Nigeria. We’re all Nigerians. we are brothers and sisters.
‘’May those who died find eternal rest. May their families and the good people of Niger State be comforted.’’
Obi commended the state government for its response and called for more action to mitigate the effects of the disaster.
Bago’s wife visits survivors, donates N50m
Hajiya Fatima, wife of Governor Mohammed Bago, visited some of the victims and announced a personal donation of N50 million.
She explained that the donation was on behalf of herself and her family to help cushion the effects of the disaster.
Hajiya Fatima said: “We are here to condole with victims of the flood disaster and to assess the situation.
“There is nothing we can do since the disaster has happened. We only advise the people to be cautious henceforth and avoid building on waterways.”
She noted that the ongoing search and rescue operation, with the aid of an excavator, to recover more bodies, was encouraging.
Secretary to the State Government Abubakar Usman appealed to the survivors to see the disaster as an act of God.
Also, the Village Head of Mokwa, Mohammed Aliyu, appreciated the governor’s wife for the visit and called on the government to compensate the affected residents of the three communities.
