By Miracle Ogunde
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has revealed the cause of the explosion at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State, on Sunday, that claimed at least two lives.
Alake said that the incident was caused by the illegal stockpiling of explosives by one Yushua Maikampala, a resident of New Bussa.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, on Monday and made available to Channels Television.
Maikampala is believed to have been involved in purchasing and storing explosives and their accessories in a house in Sabo Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area.
According to the minister, “Security agencies have been put on the trail of the suspected culprit. He will be apprehended to face justice.”
The statement noted that an eyewitness revealed that the explosion was triggered by an electrical spark around 7:00 AM. on Sunday, destroying the building where the explosives were stored and damaging approximately 20 other houses in the vicinity. At least two fatalities have been confirmed.
He expressed his deepest condolences to the victims, describing the incident as avoidable given the negligence surrounding the handling and illegal storage of explosives by the alleged culprit.
Alake is said to have directed relevant ministry officials, including the Mines Inspectorate Department, to carry out forensic analysis of soil samples collected from the blast site to determine the source of the explosives, which would guide the next course of action.
He said the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring that mining operators adhere to strict environmental and safety standards to avert a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.
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