Their collective and individual burden of grief was visible. The shock of the flood which hit Mokwa, a town 370km west of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja and a commercial hub in Niger State about 10 days was still in their minds. Residents of Mokwa could not hide their sorrow, when Sunday Telegraph visited the area last week.
Alhaji Bello Ibrahim, a survivor of the flood would live the remaining part of his life with sorrow. He lost all his family members to the unfortunate incident.
According to him: “We were all sleeping when the waters came. I have lived in Unguwan Hausawa for over 35 years, and I have never seen anything this bad.
“Ever since it happened, I have tried to look for them but I have not seen them. I am not giving up on my search, even if they are dead already. At least, let me see with my eyes. What I really need now is to find my missing family and bury them with dignity”, he said.
For Usman Anas, a traditional chief, his family of 17 were among those swept away by the flood.
He narrates: “We were preparing to go to the farm in the morning when our house was suddenly submerged by floods. We did not know where the flood came from.
“The flood submerged our house, causing the structure to collapse. I managed to come out. We lost children, women and men, who are also family members. Some of the corpses were recovered at the River Niger downstream, and some bodies are still being recovered but I have not seen any of my children.”
A civil servant, Mohammed Tanko, said: “We lost at least, 15 from this house (pointing to the relics of the house he grew up in). The property is gone. We lost everything. But I thank the Almighty Allah”.
Read full story on page10, 23
