The Senate on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to urgently investigate the catastrophic flood that ravaged Mokwa in Niger State and implement sustainable flood control measures nationwide.

This followed a motion by Senator Peter Jiya (PDP–Niger), co-sponsored by 20 senators, highlighting the loss of over 700 lives—mostly pupils from four Islamic schools—and damage exceeding ₦10 billion, including uprooted rail lines, collapsed bridges, and destroyed roads.

The motion, titled “Catastrophic Flood Disaster in Mokwa, Niger State and Need for Proactive Action to Forestall Future Occurrence”, led to a minute of silence in honour of the victims.

Jiya lamented that, despite early warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and repeated appeals to the Ecological Fund Office, no action had been taken to address the flood-prone areas of Mokwa and Kutigi.

“The resources of NEMA and NSEMA have been overwhelmed by the scale of devastation,” he said, urging the Federal Government to expedite relief efforts promised during Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent visit.

Supporting the motion, Senator Victor Umeh (LP–Anambra) described the disaster as “avoidable” and blamed inaction by relevant agencies despite advance warnings.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session, commiserated with the people of Niger State and reiterated the Senate’s commitment to pursuing long-term solutions, including the development of early warning systems and resilient infrastructure.