By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development has dispatched officials of the Federal Mines Office in Niger State to the blast site for an on-the-spot assessment following an explosion at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State, on Sunday.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the explosion was caused by the illegal stockpiling of explosives by one Yushua Maikampala, a resident of New Bussa.
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.
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.
The Minister expresses 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.
The minister has 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.
Security agencies have been put on the trail of the suspected culprit. He will be apprehended to face justice.
