3 Die As Another Mining Pit Collapses In Niger

THREE persons have been killed in a fresh mining pit collapse that occurred on Thursday at Bazakwoi, a village in Adnun community of Niger State. One person was however pulled out of the crashed mining site alive.

Director-General of Niger State Emergency Manage­ment Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who confirmed the incident, said that no one was trapped in the pit. According to Baba-Arah, all those trapped were recovered from the pit through community efforts.

The Thursday incident was the second of such calam­ity in the state in a space of 10 days. It should be recalled that 20 persons lost their lives in a mining pit collapse following the heavy rains at Galkago community in the Shiroro District of Niger State on June 3, while 14 others were trapped under the rubble.

The death toll was confirmed by the Niger State Police authorities. The latest incident was said to have involved local miners who were said to be carrying out illegal mining activities.

This latest incident comes at a time the Niger State governor, Mohammed Umaru; his deputy, Yakubu Garba, and the speaker of the House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji are all out of the country to Saudi Arabia where they are participating in the 2024 Hajj.

Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman is said to be at home piloting the affairs of the state in the absence of the state’s top three citizens.