A series of floods beginning April 2025 across Nigeria threatened over 15 million people and killed at least 500 in a single event at Mokwa.
Key Facts
- Deadliest single flood
- 2025 Mokwa flood, May 2025
- Deaths in Mokwa flood
- At least 500 people
- Nigerians at high flood risk
- At least 15 million people
- States at high risk
- 30 of 36 states
- Communities at high risk
- More than 1,200 communities
- Communities at moderate risk
- 2,187 across 293 LGAs in 31 states and FCT
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Nigeria is highly vulnerable to seasonal flooding driven by heavy rainfall and river overflow. The federal government projected that flooding would affect 30 of 36 states, with at least 15 million people at high risk and over 2,187 communities across 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory facing moderate flood risk.
Beginning in April 2025, a series of flooding events struck multiple Nigerian states, causing fatalities, injuries, property damage, and displacement. The single deadliest episode was the Mokwa flood in Niger State in May 2025, which killed at least 500 people. Thirty states were identified as high-risk, spanning all geopolitical zones of the country.
The floods resulted in widespread property destruction, deaths, injuries, and mass displacement across Nigeria. Federal authorities issued warnings covering more than 1,200 communities at high risk, highlighting the country's recurring and escalating flood vulnerability and the need for sustained disaster preparedness and response.