Maiduguri Still Reeling from Devastating Dam Collapse: Survivors' Struggle to Rebuild

Tue Oct 21 2025 05:53:16 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A year after Maiduguri's dam collapse caused catastrophic flooding, families reflect on their losses as they face ongoing fears of another disaster. Survivors share their heart-wrenching stories and the impact on their homes and livelihoods.

In Maiduguri, Nigeria, the effects of last year's dam collapse and subsequent flooding still linger. With 37 lives lost, and many families displaced, survivors now grapple with the harsh realities of rebuilding their lives amid the threat of a repeated disaster. Sa'adatu Dahiru, a mother of six, lost her two-year-old son to hunger and sickness during the floods and now waits for promised government aid. The government has begun reconstructing the dam to prevent future flooding, but the recovery remains daunting as many families still dwell in makeshift shelters.

The threat of flooding once again looms over the city of Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, a year after torrential rains and the collapse of a dam left entire neighbourhoods submerged in water.

For many residents who are still bearing the scars of last year's floods, the possibility of a repeat has created huge unease.

At least 37 people died in the floods and two million had to abandon their houses after the widespread destruction of homes, farms and businesses.

Forty-two-year-old Sa'adatu Dahiru lost her two-year-old son. He died as a result of hunger and fever during the flood. We had no proper food, no medicine, and no safe place to stay, she told the BBC.

She describes how her children cried as they fled in the night with only a few clothes, leaving everything else behind.

Though she initially received minimal assistance from the government, she states that support has since stalled: Since then, none of the other promises from the government have reached us. We are still waiting, still suffering.

The Borno state government claims to have provided support through relief camps and food aid.

Significantly, efforts have begun to reconstruct the dam that caused the flooding, a project complicated by more than a decade of insurgency by Boko Haram.

Maryam Jidda, another survivor, lost her home and the family's history in the floodwaters. At 72, she recalls the nightmare of the flood overwhelming her shelter and leaving her destitute once again.

Local youth, like Ali Kadau, express despair at the disruption to their education and employment prospects, as many are left without homes or stable futures.

This year's rainy season adds urgency to their plight, highlighting the need for ongoing support and effective infrastructure to protect the community in the face of natural disasters.