Months after a mine collapsed in Shiroro, Niger State resulting in the death of several miners, another mine collapsed in Kakaki, killing two siblings.
That the siblings, Zubairu Ibrahim, 20 and Sadiq Ibrahim, 25, were said to have died when the mine collapsed in Kakaki village in the Paikoro Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on Saturday when the two brothers were said to have left their home without informing their parents of their mission of joining other persons at the mine to dig for solid minerals.
According to village sources, their absence was noticed that evening when they failed to return for dinner and evening prayers. Their father, Zubairu Ibrahim, however, assumed that the young men were out with friends until he learnt that they had gone to the mining site to dig for gold.
Their father who sent community members to search for his sons was devastated when the people returned with their lifeless bodies. On inquiry, he was infomed that the bodies were found buried beneath the collapsed soil at the mining site.
The bereaved Ibrahim who spoke with officials from the state Ministry of Mineral Resources lamented how he could not cope with life after burying two sons in one day.
The officials who paid a condolence and fact-finding visit to the village were led by the Permanent Secretary, Yunusa Nahauni, and included the ministry’s directors, the Miners Association State Chapter Caretaker Chairman, and the Nigeria Union of Mines Workers.
Nahauni lamented that the death was avoidable if the community had abided by the governor’s order suspending mining in the state. He stressed that the directive suspending mining in the state was still in force as the ministry would continue to crack down on illegal mining operations.
Nahauni who warned that anyone found violating these regulations would face legal consequences, expressed the government’s condolences reiterating the need to determine the cause of the accident. He also urged the community to inform the ministry whenever they discovered any mineral elements in their vicinity so as to receive proper guidance.
“We give our condolences to the bereaved family. This death was avoidable if the community had abided by the governor’s order suspending mining in the state. The ministry will continue to crack down on illegal mining operations.
“Anyone found violating these regulations would face legal consequences. There is the need to determine the cause of the accident. The community should inform the ministry whenever they discover any mineral elements in their vicinity so as to receive proper guidance,” he said.
Meanwhile, when the team attempted to visit the mining site to ascertain the level of damage, the villagers prevented them and were rooting to assault them, believing that the government team was in the village to extort money from them.
The villagers alleged that an initial team from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps had visited the village and extorted N25,000 from the parents of the deceased to fuel their vehicle.
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