Flooding across Nigeria in 2025 has claimed the lives of at least 165 people, left 82 others missing, and affected nearly 120,000 individuals, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). In a statement released on Friday via its disaster data dashboard, NEMA provided a grim overview of the humanitarian toll of this year’s floods, which have hit 19 states and 43 Local Government Areas (LGAs). A total of 138 people have sustained various degrees of injuries, while 43,936 individuals have been displaced from their homes. Additionally, 8,594 houses have been damaged or destroyed, and 8,278 farmlands have been lost to rising water levels.
The agency further broke down the demographics of those impacted: 53,314 are children, 36,573 are women, 24,600 are men, while 5,304 are elderly individuals, and 1,863 are persons with disabilities. This data highlights the disproportionate effect of the disaster on vulnerable groups, especially women and children. The worst-hit states so far include Imo, Rivers, Abia, Borno, and Kaduna, although floodwaters have been recorded in 19 states overall, among them Abia, FCT, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, and Sokoto.
Among the most catastrophic events of the year was the Mokwa flood in Niger State, where torrential rains in May led to the deaths of over 200 people, according to multiple reports. International emergency assessments estimated that more than 3,000 people were displaced in that incident alone, with entire villages submerged, bridges washed away, and farmlands devastated. Rescue efforts were later suspended due to safety and public health concerns, as conditions in the area deteriorated rapidly.
Experts attribute the worsening flood crises in Nigeria to a combination of factors, including climate change, poor urban planning, blocked drainage systems, and the uncoordinated release of water from dams. The 2025 rainy season was forecasted to be severe, with the government earlier warning that over 15 million Nigerians were at risk of displacement and that 30 states could potentially be affected. These projections are now materializing with devastating impact, as communities continue to reel from destroyed infrastructure, food insecurity, and outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
The situation has prompted renewed calls for improved early warning systems, better drainage infrastructure, and stronger collaboration between federal, state, and local governments. Humanitarian agencies are also urging a coordinated response to provide shelter, medical care, and food supplies to those affected. With children and women making up more than 70% of the affected population, there are increasing concerns about protection, malnutrition, and access to education and healthcare in displacement camps.
As Nigeria confronts the full scale of the 2025 flooding season, it faces a dual challenge: immediate relief for affected populations and long-term investments in climate resilience. The rising frequency and intensity of such disasters demand urgent policy shifts, improved data monitoring, and increased funding for disaster risk reduction, before floods turn from seasonal threats into permanent national crises.
