Abuja – September 14, 2025
The Federal Government has warned that 32 communities across 11 states are at high risk of flooding between September 14 and 18, 2025, following forecasts of heavy rainfall.
The alert, issued by the National Flood Early Warning Centre of the Ministry of Environment and signed by Usman Abdullahi Bokani, Director of Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management, listed the affected states as Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Delta, Niger, Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
The ministry specifically cautioned that communities along the River Gongola, River Benue, and River Niger floodplains up to Lokoja face heightened danger and should evacuate without delay.
The government urged state authorities and disaster management agencies to act swiftly to mitigate the impact, noting that Nigeria has suffered repeated cycles of devastating floods in recent years, worsened by poor drainage, rapid urbanisation, and climate change.
So far this year, flooding has claimed 231 lives, left 114 people missing, and injured 607 individuals, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The devastation comes on the heels of the 2024 floods, which displaced over 1.2 million Nigerians and killed more than 1,200 people nationwide.
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