Survivors of the devastating Mokwa flood disaster in Niger State have formally petitioned the Nigeria Police, demanding a full-scale criminal investigation into the alleged diversion and mismanagement of more than N5 billion donated by governments, organisations, philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians for their rehabilitation and welfare.
The petition, submitted to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department through I.U. Wali Law Firm, accuses officials responsible for managing the relief effort of failing to account for enormous public donations while thousands of victims allegedly remain abandoned, homeless and without meaningful support.
The disaster, which ravaged Mokwa in May 2025, claimed hundreds of lives, displaced entire communities and attracted an unprecedented outpouring of humanitarian assistance from across the country. Among the most prominent contributions was a N1 billion intervention announced by Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, alongside massive food donations, while Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, also donated N1 billion through the Renewed Hope Initiative. Several private individuals, organisations and foundations equally contributed millions of naira and relief materials.
However, the victims now insist that the promised succour never reached the overwhelming majority of those affected.
According to reports, only about 100 beneficiaries reportedly received N1 million each from the governor’s cash intervention, leaving countless others questioning the whereabouts of the remaining funds and the criteria used in selecting recipients.
Community leaders and support groups have described the situation as a humanitarian injustice, alleging that genuine victims were excluded from beneficiary lists while politically connected individuals and questionable names allegedly found their way into the distribution framework.
The controversy has further deepened public outrage after survivors disclosed that many families continue to live in makeshift conditions more than a year after the disaster, depending largely on occasional food donations from humanitarian organisations rather than the billions reportedly mobilised in their name.
Civil society organisations have also joined the growing demand for transparency, urging the Niger State Government and emergency agencies to publish a comprehensive register detailing every donation received, the identities of donors, and the final beneficiaries of the relief programme. Questions have equally been raised over alleged omissions in official donor lists, including substantial contributions made by private foundations and notable individuals.
For many residents of Mokwa, the issue goes beyond financial accountability. It represents what they describe as a painful betrayal of a traumatised population whose suffering inspired national compassion but whose expectations, they claim, have been crushed by official silence and opaque relief mechanisms.
The police petition now places the matter squarely before federal investigators, with victims insisting that only a thorough criminal probe can establish whether billions intended to rebuild shattered lives were diverted, mismanaged or withheld from those who needed them most.