Nigeria floods leave more than 600 people dead

Disaster has forced more than 1.3 million people from their homes, ministry says

A lorry is partly submerged in flood water at a petrol station in Lokoja, Kogi state, in south-central Nigeria. Reuters

An aerial view of a submerged landscape at Lokoja. Reuters

Houses submerged in flood waters in Lokoja. Nigeria has seen some of its worse flooding in a decade. Reuters

A flooded landscape in Lokoja. More than 600 people have died in the flooding. Reuters

Flood waters surround a road at Lokoja. About 1.3 million people have been displaced nationwide. Reuters

Officials say about 200,000 homes have been destroyed by flooding. Reuters

Locals brave flood waters in Kogi state. Many have been left stranded by the deluge, with roads to other parts of the country submerged. AP Photo

The worst floods in a decade have killed more than 600 people in Nigeria, a toll released on Sunday showed.

The disaster has forced more than 1.3 million from their homes, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Twitter.

“Unfortunately, over 603 lives have been lost as of today October 16, 2022,” Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq said.

The number rose from the 500 reported last week because some state governments had not prepared for the floods, AFP quoted Ms Umar Farouq as saying.

The flooding also completely destroyed more than 82,000 houses and about 110,000 hectares of farmland, she said.

While the rainy season usually begins in June, the rain has been particularly heavy since August, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

In 2012, 363 people died and more than 2.1 million were displaced by flooding.

The sub-Sahara region of Africa has been hit hard by climate change and many of its economies are struggling from the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rice producers have said that the devastating floods could drive up prices in the country of about 200 million people, where rice imports are banned to stimulate local production.

The World Food Programme and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said last month that Nigeria was among six countries facing a high risk of catastrophic levels of hunger.