Over 30 miners remain trapped, more than three weeks after a mining pit collapsed in Galkogo, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
Families of the victims and residents confirmed that labourers were working inside the 400-metre-deep pit owned by African Minerals and Logistics Limited when it caved in on June 3, following heavy rain the previous day.
Initial reports indicated that 20 people were trapped and six had been rescued. However, families and residents insist that 50 people were stuck in the pit.
They said the government did not rescue six people as claimed but that these individuals managed to escape before the pit fully caved in. Four mutilated bodies were recovered on Monday and Tuesday through manual operations.
Initial efforts to rescue the trapped victims, including the site manager, Alhaji Ishaku Ibrahim, were hampered by a lack of appropriate equipment.
However, it was discovered this week that the recovery effort has resumed but is still being done manually.
Families of the victims expressed frustration over the slow pace and lack of government involvement in the rescue efforts.
Mallama Safiya, the wife of one of the trapped victims, said she had not lost hope that her husband would be rescued alive. “I will be happy if my husband is brought out of the pit alive. I have been praying, and I am hopeful. Let the authorities bring them out so that we know our fate. But I believe the government is not doing enough to save the victims. We learnt that some people came from Abuja, and with support from our people, they are working to bring them out. We pray they succeed,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Niger State chapter of the Federation of Nigeria Mining Host Communities threatened on Saturday to take legal action against African Minerals and Logistics Limited, the company managing the site.
In a statement jointly signed by the state coordinator and secretary of the association, Habibu Wushishi and Mohammed Mohammed, at the end of its emergency meeting in Minna, it was stated that relevant authorities would be engaged to investigate whether the mining company operating the site had obtained a licence or lease permit from the appropriate authorities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, had on June 7, 2024, announced a N50 million federal government donation to support the victims’ families. The minister, who said he was representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, announced the donation at the Government House in Minna during a meeting with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and representatives of the affected communities.