Hundreds of households in Sokoto State have been thrown into despair after a flood submerged farmlands and destroyed houses in Bodinga and Shagari Local Government Areas, leaving a seven-year-old boy dead.
The disaster, which hit on Thursday, August 14, 2025, ravaged Badau village in Darhela Ward and Butuku in Toma Ward of Bodinga LGA, as well as Dandin-Mahe in Shagari LGA.
Residents said over 3,000 farmlands in Badau and 75 in Butuku were destroyed, alongside houses and a local market.
A joint assessment team from the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), led by SEMA Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Malam Mustapha Umar, and NEMA Planning Officer, Tukur Abubakar, visited the affected communities on Sunday.
The delegation was received by Ibrahim Buda, Sarkin Yamman Badau, who described the situation as “devastating”.
“Farmlands, houses, and livelihoods were badly hit,” the traditional ruler said, calling for urgent intervention from the state and federal governments.
Umar, however, stated that ongoing road construction by Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s administration had “helped reduce the scale of destruction”. “If not for the road project around the community, the devastation would have been much worse,” he added.
Inspection in Dandin-Mahe took the team to Shiyar Taba, the local market, 75 farmlands, and damaged homes, where Councillor Sanusi Dandin-Mahe and Councillor for Social Development (Sanyin-Nawal Ward), Shehu Karoga, conducted them around.
Tragedy struck in the area when a building collapsed amid the flooding, killing seven-year-old Jafar Sani and injuring his siblings, Ummu Ayman and Dawuda Abubakar.
“The building collapse claimed the life of little Jafar, while two of his siblings sustained injuries,” residents told reporters.
Umar, on behalf of the Sokoto SEMA Special Adviser, condoled the bereaved family and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured, assuring that “findings will be forwarded to relevant authorities to ensure prompt humanitarian response”.
He also emphasised the urgent need for relief interventions to cushion the impact of the disaster.