THE Niger State Government has said that the death toll from last week’s flooding in Mokwa Local Government Area has surged beyond 200, with more than 1,000 residents still missing.

The state Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, gave the update on Monday while receiving former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the Government House in Minna, the state capital.

“If we say this is the number today, the next day you see the number going up again. But I know from the people that there were people displaced, and nobody has seen them.

“For now, we don’t know where they are. Those people have actually been swept away by water. We have reviewed house-to-house and based on that, the number of people that are yet to be seen is more than 1,000.

“But the dead that have been seen are close to 200 now. And the displaced persons are more than 3,000 plus and the affected direct properties are more than 2,000.

The deputy governor said the greatest challenge facing the government over the tragedy was the fate of those missing.

He warned that the death toll could surge as search and rescue operations continued.

The flood, which swept through three communities in Mokwa, displaced over 3,000 residents and destroyed at least 2,000 homes. Critical infrastructure, including three bridges and several roads, was also affected.

The ICIR reports that Obi was in the state to condole with the government and affected communities.

The former Anambra State governor donated ₦20 million to support the victims and called for more efforts to assist the displaced residents.

“We felt that we had to physically visit here and show solidarity,” he said, adding, “Whatever happened here happened to Nigeria. We are all brothers and sisters.”

Obi prayed for the repose of the deceased and the speedy recovery of those hospitalised, urging both government and citizens to work together in addressing the aftermath of the disaster.

He promised to visit the victims at a later date in their communities..

In a similar visit, Hajiya Fatima Bago, the wife of the state Governor Mohammed Bago, toured some of the affected areas and donated ₦50 million on behalf of her family.

She advised residents to avoid building on waterways and pledged continued support for the victims.

“We are here to condole with the victims and assess the situation,” she said.

“The ongoing rescue operations using excavators are encouraging, and we hope more people can be found,” she stressed.

Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, described the tragedy as “an act of God” and urged survivors to remain hopeful.

The head of Mokwa town, Mohammed Aliyu, expressed gratitude for the visit and called on the government to compensate affected households.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Suleiman, reportedly said on Tuesday, June 3, that the toll had exceeded 200.

He said this while featuring om Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief.”

“We are still recovering corpses up till now. Nobody can tell you the number of casualties in Niger State right now because up till now, we are still looking for some corpses,” he said.

The ICIR reports that search and rescue efforts are ongoing as local authorities and volunteers continue to search for the missing victims in the area.