Satellite before and after

Nigeria floods 2022: the Niger and Benue at Lokoja

Nigeria's 2022 floods were the worst on record since 2012; near the confluence of the Niger and Benue, floodwater inundated Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State.

The confluence of the Niger and Benue at Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria · September to October 2022 · Flood · Nigeria

Compare the imagery

Drag the divider, or focus it and use the arrow keys. Left of the divider is 15 Oct 2021, right is 5 Oct 2022, 355 days apart.

The interactive comparison needs JavaScript. Both images are shown below.

In this false-colour view water is dark blue to black, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan, freshly burned land is red-brown and cloud is cyan.

The two images

Satellite image of The confluence of the Niger and Benue at Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria on 15 Oct 2021, before the event, in false colour (MODIS bands 7-2-1).
Before: Aqua, 15 Oct 2021 · Open in NASA Worldview · original from GIBS
Satellite image of The confluence of the Niger and Benue at Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria on 5 Oct 2022, after the event, in false colour (MODIS bands 7-2-1).
After: Aqua, 5 Oct 2022 · Open in NASA Worldview · original from GIBS

What the images show

In October 2021 the Niger and the Benue are narrow dark lines meeting in a Y. In October 2022 both rivers are far wider, with the Benue especially spread across its valley east of the confluence.

About the event

  • NASA Earth Observatory reported that floodwater in Anambra state had displaced more than 600,000 people, and that a boat escaping the rising water capsized on 7 October, killing dozens.

Limits of this comparison

The before-image is from the same season a year earlier, not a dry-season baseline: the rivers are high every October, and the comparison shows how much higher they were in 2022. Cloud covers the north-east of the 2022 image. Both images are from the same satellite and layer.

Each image is one satellite pass at about 250 metres a pixel. It shows where water or burned land is visible from space on that day; it does not measure damage, and cloud or haze can hide what is underneath.

Dates were chosen by checking the imagery on both satellites for several days either side and keeping the clearest pass. Both use the same layer, MODIS Corrected Reflectance, bands 7-2-1.

Sources

We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Comparison slider: leaflet-side-by-side (MIT licence). Case last updated 13 Sep 2026.

Questions

What does the satellite image of The confluence of the Niger and Benue at Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria show?

In October 2021 the Niger and the Benue are narrow dark lines meeting in a Y. In October 2022 both rivers are far wider, with the Benue especially spread across its valley east of the confluence.

When were the two satellite images taken?

The before-image was taken by Aqua, 15 Oct 2021 and the after-image by Aqua, 5 Oct 2022, 355 days apart.

What can this before-and-after comparison not show?

The before-image is from the same season a year earlier, not a dry-season baseline: the rivers are high every October, and the comparison shows how much higher they were in 2022. Cloud covers the north-east of the 2022 image. Both images are from the same satellite and layer. Each image is one satellite pass at about 250 metres a pixel. It shows where water or burned land is visible from space on that day; it does not measure damage, and cloud or haze can hide what is underneath.

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