“Dele Alake Blames Fatal Niger Explosion on Illegal Explosive Stockpiling”
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has stated that the explosion that occurred at a mining site in Niger was caused by the illegal stockpiling of explosives.
In a statement issued on Monday, Alake confirmed that the explosion, which took place at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area (LGA) on Sunday, resulted in three fatalities, several injuries, and the destruction of over 40 homes.
Abdullahi Arah, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), provided further details, noting that parked vehicles were also damaged in the blast.
Preliminary investigations have pointed to the illegal storage of explosives by Yushua Maikampala, a resident of New Bussa, as the likely cause of the explosion. According to Alake, Maikampala was involved in purchasing and stockpiling explosives and related accessories in a house in Sabon Pegi.
“Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion was triggered by an electrical spark around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. The spark ignited the explosives, causing the destruction of the storage building and damaging approximately 20 nearby houses. At least two people have been confirmed dead,” Alake stated.
In response to the incident, the Minister has directed officials from the Federal Mines Office to conduct an on-the-ground assessment of the site. Additionally, officials from the Mines Inspectorate Department have been tasked with performing a forensic analysis of soil samples from the blast site to determine the precise source of the explosives.
The results of the analysis will inform further actions to be taken.
Alake expressed his condolences to the victims, calling the incident “avoidable,” and assured that security agencies are actively pursuing Maikampala, who will be apprehended and brought to justice.
He also reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to enforcing strict safety and environmental standards in mining operations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
