Two siblings have died following a mine collapse in Kakaki village, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident comes months after a mine collapsed in Shiroro, Niger State, resulting in the death of several miners.
In the latest incident, the siblings – Zubairu Ibrahim, 20, and Sadiq Ibrahim, 25, – reportedly died when the mine they were working in suddenly caved in on Saturday.
It was gathered that the victims left their home on that fateful day without informing their parents of their plans to join others at the mine site in search of solid minerals. Their absence was first noticed when they did not return home for dinner and evening prayers. Initially, their father, Zubairu Ibrahim, assumed they were with friends, only to later discover that the young men had ventured to the mining site to dig for gold.
A frantic search was initiated by the community members at the behest of their father. To his utter devastation, the search party returned with the lifeless bodies of his sons, who had been found buried beneath the collapsed soil at the mine site.
The Ministry of Mines and Solid Mineral Resources, through its spokesperson, Mrs. Maureen Dibie, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
Dibie stated that officials from the ministry, led by the Permanent Secretary, Yunusa Nahauni, paid a condolence and fact-finding visit to the bereaved family on Sunday. The team also included directors from the ministry, representatives from the Miners Association, and the Caretaker Chairman of the State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Mines Workers.
During the visit, the father of the deceased lamented losing both sons in one day, lamenting the harsh reality of life after their untimely death.
Speaking on behalf of the ministry, Nahauni expressed deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing that the tragedy could have been avoided if the community had adhered to the Governor’s directive, which had suspended all mining activities in the state.