Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, says the explosion that occurred in the Sabon Pegi community, Mashegun LGA of Niger state, on Sunday, was caused by the illegal stockpiling of explosives by a resident.
In a statement on Monday, Segun Tomori, the minister’s media aide, said preliminary investigations indicate that Yushua Maikampala, a resident of New Bussa, had been storing explosives in a house in the area.
Tomori said witnesses reported that an electrical spark triggered the explosion around 7 am on Sunday, which destroyed 20 buildings.
At least two people have been confirmed dead.
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Tomori said the minister expressed his condolences to the victims, describing the incident as avoidable due to the negligence surrounding the handling and storage of explosives.
“Dr. Alake has directed relevant ministry officials, including the mines inspectorate department, to carry out forensic analysis of soil samples from the blast site to determine the source of the explosives, which would guide the next course of action,” he said.
“Security agencies have been put on the trail of the suspected culprit. He will be apprehended to face justice.
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“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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