Six people have been rescued, while 14 others are still trapped in the mining pit that collapsed in the Galkogo community, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, on Tuesday.
News About Nigeria reports that the mining site belonging to ‘African Minerals and Logistics Limited’ caved in after a heavy downpour yesterday (Tuesday).
Confirming the figure on Wednesday, the Niger State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Garba Sabo Yahaya, said that the tragedy was avoidable.
According to him, the disaster was a result of the flagrant disobedience to the order issued by the state government a few months ago directing all miners to suspend their activities and vacate the sites until further notice.
He said that there was a lack of compliance and synergy between the mining company’s management director and the district head, as they have been operating even after the government ordered them to vacate the site.
He said, “The district head of Galkogo village confirmed that initially, a total of 20 people were trapped in the mining site, but 6 have since been rescued. The site administrator of Africa Minerals and Logistics Ltd., the mining company operating in the area, also said that the collapse occurred due to hanging walls within the mining site and that, at the time of going to press, 14 people were still trapped.
“This lack of coordination arose due to the governor’s directive to suspend all mining activities in the state and crack down on illegal miners as a result of increasing security concerns. The Governor, through the ministry, had issued letters to all the Emirate, instructing them accordingly, but they refused to yield to the directive.”
