7-year-old boy dies in Niger flood

Less than a month after the devastating Mokwa flood claimed over 200 lives and destroyed valuable property, another flood has occurred in Bida, the headquarters of Bida Local Government Area in Niger State.

This comes less than two weeks after a previous flood in the same town, which also caused the destruction of buildings, bridges, and culverts without loss of life.

The latest flood was triggered by a heavy downpour lasting three hours on Thursday morning, which resulted in the tragic death of a seven-year-old boy, Mohammed Mohammed of Nasarafu Ward.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that the boy was sent to a neighborhood immediately after the rain stopped but was unfortunately swept away by the flood caused by the torrential rainfall.

Efforts by passersby and neighbors to rescue him proved futile, as no one was willing to risk entering the floodwaters.

The father of the deceased, Mohammed Usman, told journalists he was devastated by the incident and that the boy’s body had yet to be recovered.

“The incident is an act of God, but my pain is that, to this moment, the corpse of my son has not been found.

“As soon as the rain stopped, the entire community launched a search and rescue mission, but unfortunately, we are yet to find his body,” Malam Usman lamented.

It should be recalled that on Saturday, June 14, 2025, a similar flood in Bida around the GRA-Federal Polytechnic Road led to the collapse of several buildings, a bridge, culverts, and some business premises.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hussaini Ibrahim, confirmed the incident but declined to give further details, saying:

“The agency is currently conducting an assessment of the situation. After the evaluation, the state government will respond appropriately.”