Residents of Mokwa in Niger State have expressed disappointment with the Federal Government of President Bola Tinubu and the Niger State Government after renewed flooding submerged parts of Rabba Road, about 16 months after the devastating 2025 flood that killed 206 people and displaced thousands.
The latest flooding began late on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and continued into the morning of Thursday, October 1, after heavy rainfall in Mokwa. Residents said sections of Rabba Road were covered by floodwater, making movement difficult and renewing fears in communities still recovering from the May 2025 disaster.
Videos from the affected area showed floodwater covering sections of the road as residents and road users attempted to move through the area.
Residents said the return of flooding had again raised concerns about homes, businesses, farms and other properties in Mokwa, particularly if heavy rainfall continues.
One resident said the latest development had caused serious concern because of the scale of the disaster the town experienced last year.
“The flooding started late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning following the heavy rainfall. We are seriously worried because this is happening again after what Mokwa experienced last year,” the resident said.
Another resident directly criticised both the Federal Government and the administration of Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, saying residents had expected more preventive measures following the 2025 disaster.
“We are disappointed in the Tinubu government and the Niger State Government because promises were made during the last disaster, but we have not seen enough meaningful intervention to prevent another occurrence,” the resident said.
Another resident described the fear that now accompanies heavy rainfall in the community.
“People are now living in fear whenever it rains heavily because they do not know whether they will lose their homes, properties or means of livelihood again,” the resident said.
The latest flooding brings renewed attention to the devastating disaster that struck Mokwa on May 29, 2025.
Heavy rainfall triggered a flash flood that swept through parts of the town, destroying houses, roads, bridges, businesses and farmland.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency subsequently put the death toll at 206 people.
According to figures announced by the state authorities, 82 people were injured, 458 houses were completely destroyed, 180 hectares of farmland were submerged and 3,534 people were displaced.
A joint rapid assessment conducted by the International Organization for Migration, National Emergency Management Agency, Niger State Emergency Management Agency and Nigerian Red Cross Society shortly after the disaster recorded 3,018 affected people representing 503 households at that stage of the emergency.
The assessment found that 92 per cent of houses surveyed in the affected locations had been completely destroyed.
The disaster also severely damaged infrastructure connecting Mokwa with surrounding communities.
Among the affected locations was Rabba, where destruction of a major bridge disrupted access to farms, schools, healthcare facilities and markets.
Following the disaster, the Niger State Government announced major financial and infrastructure interventions.
On June 9, 2025, Governor Bago announced a ₦1 billion donation to support victims of the Mokwa flood.
The state government also announced that it had awarded a ₦7 billion contract for the construction of the Mokwa–Rabba Road and four bridges destroyed by the disaster.
The governor said at the time that the road and bridge project was intended to restore connectivity and improve transportation for communities affected by the flooding.
The government also announced 50 trucks of grains for victims and said land would be provided for permanent housing for displaced families.
Plans for the resettlement area included schools, healthcare facilities and drainage infrastructure intended to reduce future flood risks.
However, problems surrounding the Rabba connection have persisted.
Residents constructed a temporary wooden bridge after the original concrete structure was destroyed during the May 2025 flood.
That wooden bridge became an important connection between Rabba and Mokwa, allowing residents to reach farms, schools, markets, health facilities and neighbouring communities.
But in September 2026, only weeks before the latest flooding, another heavy downpour washed the wooden bridge away.
The destruction again disrupted movement between Rabba and Mokwa.
Reports from September said residents had reconstructed the wooden bridge several times through communal efforts since the destruction of the original concrete bridge.
The latest collapse left residents, particularly farmers and schoolchildren, facing renewed difficulties accessing essential services.
Earlier, on May 29, 2026, exactly one year after the deadly flood, residents held a peaceful procession calling on the Niger State Government to reconstruct the bridge permanently.
Some carried placards reading “Please Bago Fix Our Bridge” and “Fulfil Your Promise, We’re Disconnected.”
Community leader Alhaji Usman Ndagba described the bridge as the community's lifeline.
Residents acknowledged financial assistance provided by the state government towards maintaining the temporary wooden structure but maintained that only a permanent bridge could restore normal economic and social activities.
The Niger State Government has also announced a broader flood-control intervention for Mokwa.
In July 2026, the Niger State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, ACReSAL, opened bids for construction of stormwater drainage structures and intervention against gully erosion in Mokwa.
The intervention had initially been designed to address approximately 5.2 kilometres of gully erosion, but authorities said the scope was expanded to about 17 kilometres following the 2025 disaster.
The latest flooding has nevertheless prompted residents to call for immediate action while longer-term projects are being implemented.
“Mokwa has suffered enough from flooding. We need the government and emergency agencies to act before this situation gets worse,” one resident said.
Another called specifically for permanent drainage infrastructure.
“We need proper drainage and urgent intervention, not temporary relief after people have already lost their property,” the resident said.
Residents appealed to the Niger State Government, Mokwa Local Government Council, Niger State Emergency Management Agency and other relevant authorities to inspect the newly affected locations and intervene before conditions deteriorate.
“The government should not wait until people are trapped or lives are lost before taking action,” one resident said.
“We are appealing to the Niger State Government, Mokwa Local Government and emergency agencies to respond immediately.”
As of the reports available on October 1, 2026, there was no confirmed report of deaths from the latest flooding on Rabba Road.
There was also no confirmed figure for houses or other properties damaged by the renewed flooding.
The confirmed development was that heavy rainfall beginning late Wednesday and continuing into Thursday morning submerged parts of Rabba Road and disrupted movement.
The residents' criticism of President Tinubu's government and the Niger State Government represents their assessment of the response since the 2025 disaster.
Government records show that both emergency assistance and infrastructure projects were announced after that disaster, including the state government's ₦1 billion assistance package, the ₦7 billion Mokwa–Rabba Road and bridge contract, and subsequent flood-control plans.
The renewed flooding, however, has brought the condition of the affected infrastructure back into focus.
For residents who witnessed the May 2025 disaster, the latest floodwater carries particular significance because the community is still recovering from the deaths, displacement and destruction recorded 16 months ago.
“This is no longer something that should be treated as normal whenever it rains,” one resident said.
“There has to be a permanent solution to the flooding in Mokwa.”
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