Two children have lost their lives in north-western Nigeria after the building they were in collapsed, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The incident occurred in Katsina, one of the seven states in the region severely impacted by ongoing floods.
NEMA also reported that a third child sustained injuries in the collapse. The agency revealed on Thursday that at least 179 people across Nigeria have died due to the floods, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes.
In an official statement, President Bola Tinubu said he had received “the news of the devastation wreaked by floods on communities and farmlands across the country with profound grief”.
The president emphasised the need to address “environmental concerns” and “build a more climate resilient and adaptive society”, the statement added.
Around 107,000 hectares of farmland have been washed away. This is particularly worrisome as Nigeria battles steep increases in food prices.
NEMA and the UN’s refugee agency stated that most of those displaced by the flooding had already fled their homes in the north-west due to repeated attacks by militants.
The flood left over 10,000 persons displaced in Zamfara with potential threats of disease outbreaks.
Over 600 people were killed in 2022 when Nigeria experienced its worst flooding, leaving around 1.3 million displaced.