Four killed, many injured in Niger mining site explosion

Cross River orders miners out of communities, forests

Explosion at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, located in Mashegun Local Council Area of Niger State, has resulted in the death of four persons, with a number of persons injured.

The explosion occurred, yesterday morning, as miners resumed work. The cause of the blast remained unknown as residents of the Sabon Pegi community suggested that poor handling of explosive devices by mining companies could be to blame.

According to community sources, four bodies have been recovered from the site. One of the residents, identified as Aminu said: “The explosion occurred when the miners were just resuming work in the morning. Everybody is afraid to go close to the area for now because nobody knows what will happen next, especially when we don’t know what must have triggered the explosion that shook the entire village.”

Another resident disclosed that the mining companies working in the area usually used explosive devices for mining activities and that might be the cause of the explosion.

“Although, there is a history of terrorist activities in the area here, this very incident has nothing to do with terrorists. Serious mining activities are going on in that particular village, and it has been for long,” he said. Niger State Police Command later confirmed there was an explosion of some suspected dynamites at Sabon-pegi about 7.30 a.m.

The command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Minna explained that the dynamites was reportedly kept in a residential area by one Yushau for a purported mining activity.

The statement also revealed that the explosion led to the unfortunate death of one Fatima Sadauki, while six others were injured and taken to General Hospital, Kainji for medical attention.

According to the statement, the incident affected about 12 houses in the area and the Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman, has ordered an investigation into the incident, adding that the team of EOD-CBRN unit has been dispatched to the scene for assessment, it’s also noted that the said Yushau is currently at large.

MEANWHILE, Cross River State Government has ordered all categories of licensed and unlicensed miners to immediately move out of communities and forests.The Senior Special Adviser on State Security, Major General Obono Ubi, gave them five days to disarm and evacuate their machinery to avert untoward action by the state.

In the last two months, there have been reported influxes of strange men, suspected to be from northern Nigeria and the Sahelian region, into Agoi Ibami and other communities in Yakurr LGA, including the restricted Cross River National Parks, under the guise of mining for gold and other precious stones.

Several reports confirmed that in late December 2024, most of them arrived in five long buses. As a result of their activities and security threats, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Grimah Gyogon, dispatched detachments of personnel for surveillance.

Authorities of the 13 Brigade in Calabar, the state capital, also dispatched two busloads of soldiers to dislodge the invaders. As a result, a large number of them, who could not properly account for their missions, have been rounded up.

At a security stakeholders’ town hall meeting on illegal mining in Cross River State, attended by traditional and security chiefs, as well as registered miners mostly from the affected communities in Biase, Akamkpa, Yakurr, and surrounding areas, participants expressed fears and concerns over the security threats posed by the influx of the strange men.