In this special report, IBRAHIM OBANSA goes behind the headlines to detail the sheer scale of the disaster that recently tore through Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. He examines the extensive property damage and crushing financial losses hitting local businesses, while highlighting the unfolding humanitarian crisis now confronting displaced communities.
Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, are counting massive losses after a devastating rainstorm swept through the metropolis. The violent tempest left a trail of destruction, obliterating homes, ripping apart public facilities, and crippling electricity infrastructure, vehicles, and businesses, while displacing scores of families overnight.
What began as a routine downpour in the state capital quickly turned into a nightmare for thousands of residents, and flattening critical public infrastructure. Beyond the immense financial toll, the disaster which struck at the heart of the community, stripped many of their source of livelihood, and left others completely vulnerable to the elements.
Today, the skyline of the Kogi State capital is a patchwork of twisted zinc sheets, shattered timber, and exposed rafters. Days after the violent rainstorm ripped through Lokoja, the physical destruction is only eclipsed by the unfolding human tragedy on the ground. Hundreds of families and businesses have been thrust into sudden homelessness, forced to squeeze into overcrowded makeshift shelters.
LEADERSHIP Weekend writes that the violent downpour, which was driven by gale-force winds, battered the city for an hour between 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, May 13, 2026. In its wake, the storm left a trail of severe destruction across major sectors of the capital, with Adankolo, Lokongoma, the Phase Two Housing Estate, IBB Way, and Murtala Muhammed Way bearing the brunt of the damage.
Beyond the twisted roofing sheets, flooded stalls and shattered wooden structures, the rainstorm left behind something less visible but far more painful , fear, uncertainty and heartbreak for the people whose lives were upended overnight.
At the affected places, families and business owners stood silently beside soaked goods they could no longer sell, while families, security guards of some establishments picked through debris in search of valuables the floodwaters had carried away.
When approached by our correspondent, a middle-aged landlady , Mama Agada said, “Everything I worked for is gone,” her voice trembling as she tried to salvage some of her belongings ruined by the rain.
For many residents, the storm was not just a natural disaster but a cruel interruption to daily survival in an economy already weighed down by hardship.
Staff of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were equally shaken by the devastation. Some workers described the terrifying moments when strong winds tore through the area, forcing people to flee for safety as buildings shook violently under the storm’s pressure.
The state headquarters of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) was heavily hit, with the storm ripping off the roofs of an office block housing key departments and bringing official activities to a sudden halt.
Speaking on the disaster, NIWA’s assistant general manager, Corporate Affairs, Suleiman Makama,
described the scale of destruction as both devastating and unfortunate. He disclosed that the unroofed structure accommodated several vital arms of the authority, including the Engineering, Survey, Special Duties, Project Management, and Area Office Coordination departments.
Business owners around the affected area recounted how customers and passersby ran for cover in panic, leaving behind personal belongings in the chaos. “We have seen heavy rains before, but nothing this destructive,” one shop owner, Ameh Okpanachi, lamented, staring at the remains of his damaged kiosk.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that as cleanup efforts continue, many victims say their greatest concern is not only rebuilding structures, but rebuilding the sense of security and stability the storm swept away within a matter of minutes.
Makama further disclosed that sensitive and critical data-gathering equipment and administrative files were completely ruined by the downpour, leaving the affected personnel without a workspace.
Lamenting the operational breakdown, Makama added: “The damage inside the building was just as severe as the exterior ruin, One other serious challenge is the affected staff of those departments who have been displaced are unable to work for the moment.”
When LEADERSHIP Weekend visited the NIWA headquarters, staff members were seen salvaging soaked furniture, waterlogged files, air conditioning units, and other office equipment from the battered structure.
Underscoring the severe financial blow dealt by the evening storm, a staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the value of the destroyed property and equipment runs deep into millions of naira.
“We cannot ascertain the exact monetary value for now, but the losses are comfortably in millions of naira,” the anonymous source said.
