The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has revealed that 19 states across Nigeria have already been affected by severe flooding this year, with women and children making up the majority of victims.
In a report released on Friday through its official data dashboard, NEMA said over 119,791 people have been affected, 165 killed, and 82 still missing due to heavy rains and flooding in the past few months.
The agency identified Imo, Rivers, Abia, Borno, and Kaduna States as the worst-hit in terms of the number of affected persons.
According to the report, 43,936 people have been displaced from their homes, 138 injured, 8,594 houses damaged, and 8,278 farmlands destroyed in 43 Local Government Areas across the 19 states.
The data breakdown shows that among the affected are 53,314 children, 36,573 women, 24,600 men, 5,304 elderly, and 1,863 persons with disabilities.
The 19 states hit by the disaster include: Abia, FCT, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Rivers, and Sokoto.
Nigeria experiences seasonal flooding during the rainy season, especially in riverine areas. Experts have blamed poor urban drainage systems, deforestation, and climate change for the increasing severity of floods. NEMA has consistently warned communities living near rivers and lowlands to evacuate early, but responses remain slow in many areas.
The agency is urging state governments to act fast in relocating people in flood-prone zones and providing emergency support to affected families.
