THE Federal Government has issued an urgent flood warning for 19 states and 76 locations across Nigeria, forecasting heavy rainfall from August 5 to August 9, 2025, that could trigger severe flooding. The alert, released on Tuesday by the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre under the Federal Ministry of Environment, urged residents and stakeholders to take immediate precautionary measures to mitigate the impending disaster.
The warning comes as devastating floods struck Ogun and Gombe states on Tuesday, with Lagos, Plateau, Anambra, and Delta also grappling with the impacts of recent flooding. According to the centre’s flood prediction, areas at high risk include Akwa-Ibom (Edor, Eket, Ikom, Oron, Upenekang), Bauchi (Tafawa-Balewa, Azare, Jama’are, Kari, Misau, Jama’a), Ebonyi (Abakaliki, Echara, Ezilo), Cross-River (Ogoja Edor, Obubra), Nasarawa (Keana, Keffi, Wamba), Benue (Agaku, Buruku, Gboko, Igumale, Ito, Katsina-Ala, Ugba, Vande-Ikya), Kaduna (Jaji, Kafancha, Birnin-Gwari, Zaria), Katsina (Bindawa, Bakori, Daura, Funtua), Kebbi (Bagudo, Birnin-Kebbi, Bunza, Gwandu, Jega, Kalgo, Kamba, Kangiwa, Shanga, Ribah, Sakaba, Saminaka, Yelwa, Gauri-Banza), Kano (Bebeji, Gezawa, Gwarzo, Kano, Karaye, Tundun-wada, Wudil, Kunchi), Niger (Kontagora, Rijau, Ringim), Plateau (Mangu), Taraba (Donga, Takum), Jigawa (Diginsa, Gumel, Dutse, Gwaram, Hadejia, Miga), Yobe (Machina, Potiskum), Zamfara (Anka), Sokoto (Sokoto, Wamakko), Borno (Biu), and Gombe (Bajoga).
Flooding has become an annual crisis in Nigeria, claiming lives, destroying properties, and displacing communities. In 2024, 31 states were affected, resulting in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, and 1.2 million people impacted. The collapse of the Alau Dam in Borno State on September 10, 2024, killed at least 150 people, displaced 419,000, and submerged 70% of the community. This year, the deadliest flood occurred in May in Mokwa, Niger State, claiming at least 200 lives and displacing thousands. Other incidents include flooding in Rivers State, where torrential rains and landslides in Okrika killed at least 25 people, and in Kwara State, where 13 people died, including three in a canoe accident caused by flooding from the Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station dam.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported on Tuesday that 191 lives have been lost to flooding in 2025, with Niger State recording the highest fatalities at 163, followed by Adamawa with 26. Borno and Gombe each reported one death. Additionally, 94 people remain missing, 134,435 have been affected across 20 states and 47 local government areas, with 138 injuries, 43,936 displaced, 8,594 houses damaged, and 8,278 farmlands destroyed. Women and children have been the most affected.
In response, the National Economic Council (NEC) approved intervention funds to address the crisis, allocating N3 billion to each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, N1.5 billion to the Federal Ministries of Budget and National Planning, Environment, and Water Resources and Sanitation, and N10 billion to NEMA for nationwide flood mitigation and response efforts.As the nation braces for another wave of flooding, authorities are urging residents in at-risk areas to stay vigilant, relocate to safer grounds if necessary, and adhere to safety protocols to minimize loss of life and property.