Who is affected, what happened, when it occurred, where it spread, why it matters, and how it is being managed have become urgent questions as floods continue to ravage communities across Nigeria.
As of September 20, the National Emergency Management Agency reported that no fewer than 232 people had died, while 121,224 had been displaced across several states. In addition, 339,658 people recorded various losses, 681 sustained injuries, and 115 were declared missing.
The floods struck both urban and rural areas, destroying homes, farmlands, and livelihoods. More than 42,000 houses were damaged, while about 48,447 hectares of cultivated land were swept away. Niger State suffered the highest number of fatalities with 163 deaths, followed by Adamawa with 59. Other deaths were recorded in Taraba, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa.
Lagos was one of the worst-hit states, where nearly 58,000 people were affected, more than 3,600 displaced, and over 3,000 houses damaged. In Adamawa, close to 58,000 people were impacted, more than 23,000 displaced, hundreds injured, and thousands of farms destroyed. In Akwa Ibom, over 46,000 were affected, with more than 40,000 forced out of their homes and farmlands washed away.
Other states badly affected include Imo, Taraba, Rivers, Delta, Abia, Edo, Borno, Kaduna, Bayelsa, Cross River, Yobe, Sokoto, Gombe, Ondo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Anambra, Nasarawa, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory. Each recorded different levels of damage, ranging from loss of lives to destruction of farms and properties.
NEMA identified food, shelter, clean water, health services, and livelihood support as urgent needs. But response efforts have been slowed by lack of resources, inaccessible communities, security risks in certain areas, and even resistance from some communities.
In Gombe, state officials confirmed that close to 1,000 households had been displaced and at least 15 people killed since the rains began. Some families are now being sheltered by neighbours, while a recent canoe accident in Funakaye claimed five more lives. In Sokoto, heavy rains destroyed more than 2,000 houses in 61 communities, displacing about 5,300 households. Kano also saw widespread destruction as floods and windstorms tore through homes, leaving many families stranded.
Bauchi State reported spending about N500m on interventions to help victims rebuild, while Kaduna saw almost 1,000 residents displaced in recent weeks after torrential rains swept through Zaria and parts of the state capital. The state government later closed its temporary flood camp after families began returning home.
Some states have taken proactive steps to curb the disaster. In Nasarawa, campaigns were intensified to encourage residents in flood-prone areas to move to safer grounds. Jigawa attributed its relative calm to early preparations, including a N4.2bn investment in dredging rivers and constructing embankments. Niger State, which bore the heaviest death toll, has continued to warn residents in riverine communities to relocate whenever signs of heavy rainfall appear.
While the floods have left behind devastation across much of Nigeria, some areas such as Zamfara recorded no major incidents despite heavy rainfall in recent weeks. For others, however, the disaster has left lasting scars—homes destroyed, farms ruined, and families mourning loved ones. Relief efforts are ongoing, but many victims continue to struggle with displacement and uncertainty as the rainy season enters its peak.