Adamu Yusuf’s life has been upended since he lost nine of his family members in Tiffin Maza, one of two communities in his town worst-hit by floods in north-central Nigeria.
The father-of-one, 36, said his wife and newborn baby were among those washed away in floods early on Thursday morning in Niger state.
“She was the one that woke me up when the flood hit, and I quickly gathered the family and told everyone to hold one another. As we stepped outside, we saw water everywhere in our living room and the compound. They panicked and we got disconnected.”
His wife and baby had only just returned to the town of Mokwa a day prior, after having stayed at his in-laws house for a few weeks after having given birth.
“I watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim. It was God that saved me,” Mr Adamu said.
Local officials say the death toll has risen to more than 200 on Sunday, a sharp increase from 110 on Friday. There are fears the number could still rise further.
It is thought to have been decades since Mokwa has experienced such destruction from floods
The mood in the Tiffin Maza community on Saturday was one of grief, despair and loss.
Scattered clothes, soaked mattresses and crushed metal roofing sheets were some of the last remains of what are now hundreds of destroyed houses.
The structures still standing bear the harsh impact of the floods, with roofs washed off or some parts of the buildings destroyed.
Standing on a blue tiled floor, the only thing that points to where his bedroom once was, Mr Adamu looked around the vast empty space that has replaced his community.
“I lost everything to this flood. But the most painful is that of my family. The only valuable I have now is this cloth I am wearing which was even given to me by my friend.”
He said one relative has been found dead and he has “resigned to fate that others won’t return” to him alive.
Nineteen-year-old high school graduate, Isa Muhammed, has been inconsolable since he heard that his beloved teacher’s house was washed away while the teacher and eight members of his family were inside.
“Two have been found dead; one of them was his baby. My teacher, his second child, his sister and four other relatives are still missing. A building fell on his wife who wasn’t inside the house with them, and she died instantly.”
Mr Muhammed also lost family, remembering his uncle who died in the disaster.
“Uncle Musa was a very good friend to my late father. He took care of me since my dad died in 2023. He taught me to value education and always told me to do the right thing.
“Anytime I am alone and think about him, tears always roll down my cheeks. I haven’t been able to sleep since the incident happened,” Mr Muhammed said.
The water has now receded, and residents gathered on Saturday to offer condolences to the victims and also lend a hand in the search efforts.
Some residents told BBC News that the deluge was at least 7ft (2.1m) high in some parts of the community.
There was a strong foul smell around Tiffin Maza, and residents believe it is proof that there were dead bodies under the thick mud the floods washed up.
They are working to find them and give the dead a decent burial like they have done for others since Thursday.
“I have never seen that kind of floods before in my life, but I am grateful that my family survived it,” 65-year-old Ramat Sulaiman said.
