Death toll rises as weeks-long rains cause massive floods in Nigeria

Floods have killed at least 179 people and displaced around 200,000 more in parts of Nigeria after a "few weeks" of intense rain, an emergency official has said.

Most of the deaths were in the country’s northern region, but NEMA spokesperson Ezekiel Manzo said on Thursday the central and southern parts of Nigeria may be hit harder as rain intensifies.

He did not say exactly when the deaths and displacements had occurred.

"The collection of water from the northern part flowing downward will also mean that the situation being witnessed the same in central and southern parts of the country will become worse," Manzo told AFP.

Most of the serious flooding has been in the north of Nigeria so far.

At least 107,600 hectares (265,885 acres) of farmlands have also been affected, figures published by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) showed.

Communities along the banks of major rivers Niger and Benue are at higher risk. Some parts of the country previously not known to be flood-prone have seen floods, Manzo said.

Early warnings

Flooding, usually caused by abundant rains and poor infrastructure, has caused large-scale destruction in Africa's most populous country in the past.

More than 360 people died and more than 2.1 million were displaced in 2012.

In 2022, more than 500 people died and 1.4 million were displaced in the worst floods in a decade.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in a statement on Wednesday that authorities would provide warnings to mitigate the impact of environmental mishaps.

Manzo said emergency officials have mapped out plans to forestall a recurrence.

"We don’t have time to waste any longer so people will not be caught unaware," he told AFP.