Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in Niger State, Ahmad Suleiman, said more than 200 bodies have been recovered after a devastating flood hit Mokwa Local Government Area.
“We have more than 200 casualties or corpses but we are still looking for more,” Suleiman said on Tuesday.
According to him, “We are still recovering corpses up till now. Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger State right now because we are still looking for some corpses.”
Suleiman said Governor Umar Bago’s administration has activated an emergency response and directed the distribution of relief materials to displaced victims of the flood disaster, who are housed in makeshift camps.
“The Niger State government has put things in place and there are a lot of contributions from various agencies and ministries. The damage on ground now, you cannot get it on social media except a visit to the scene. There are lots of damage at the moment.
“The state government has sent trailers of rice to the victims. The wife of the governor also visited the local government yesterday and donated N50 million,” he said.
Meanwhile, victims at makeshift camps continue to voice deep dissatisfaction over the handling of relief efforts.
A visit to the affected communities by our correspondent revealed the frustration and disappointment of the victims, especially over the lack of adequate food supply and poor camp conditions.
Many displaced residents lamented that although they were photographed with food items by the authorities and relief personnel, they were not given the supplies.
One of the victims, Mama Isah expressed her pain, saying, “We are 17 people in my household, but we were only given one loaf of bread and some tea. How can that be enough for even our breakfast?”
She appealed to government to allow well-meaning individuals and organisations to support them directly without interference or diversion.
Beyond food shortages, the condition of the camps has also come under scrutiny. A community volunteer, Hussaini Muhammed, described it as unsuitable for human habitation.