Mining Pit Collapse Kills 23 In Niger After Gov, Deputy, Speaker Travel For Hajj

A fresh mining pit collapse has claimed the lives of three persons at Bazakwoi, a village in Adnun community of Niger State.

One person was however pulled out alive of the crashed mining site that occurred on Thursday.

Osun Defender reports that the incident was the second time such calamity in the state in a space of 10 days.

Twenty (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.

READ: Governance On Hold As Niger Gov, Deputy, Speaker, State Exco Members Reportedly Travel To Saudi For Hajj

Director-General of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who confirmed the fresh 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 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.