Heavy rainfall that lasted two hours—between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2025—has claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy, Mohammed Mohammed, of Emiliman Nasarafu Ward in Bida Local Council of Niger State.

An eyewitness in the community, who pleaded not to be named in print, blamed Arab Contractors, the firm handling the construction of the bypass road, for diverting drainage containing a huge volume of water into the area. This, the source said, has led to the destruction of buildings and business premises whenever it rains.

It was gathered that the late Mohammed was sent to a nearby location shortly after the rain stopped, when the flood caught up with him.

The father of the deceased, Mohammed Usman, expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident, attributing it to the will of God.

Usman said: “My pain is that, up to this moment I am speaking with you, the corpse of the boy has not been found,” adding that immediately after the rain stopped, the entire community embarked on a search and rescue mission, but still could not find the body.

It could be recalled that on Saturday, June 14, 2025, a rainstorm ravaged the community, leading to the collapse of buildings, a bridge, a culvert, and several business premises.

The Niger State Government had earlier awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the one-kilometre Man Musa Kodogi/Nasarafu Road in Bida Local Government Area of the state.

Residents of the area have appealed to the Niger State Government to mobilise the contractor to the site to expedite the construction work in order to avert a recurrence of such tragedies.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hussaini Ibrahim, explained that the agency is currently conducting an assessment of the incident, adding that the state government will respond accordingly after the findings.