The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has led a Federal government delegation on a visit to commiserate with the State government over the death of 37 artisanal miners who died under the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.
The Minister described the incident as a very sad day, not just for the people of Minna and Niger State but for the entire country as Niger State is regarded as one of the key States in Nigeria.
He said the incident is unfortunate and coming at a time when great strides is happening in the State coupled with the farmer governor’s efforts in enforcing homeland security measures and internal security mechanism.
The Minister reaffirmed that the Ministry will get to the root of the matter and ensure that such incident never happens again while also reiterating that the Ministry will continue to collaborate with the government of Niger State.
Executive governor of Niger State, farmer Mohammed Umaru Bago in his response thanked the federal government for its quick response and for commiserating with the State adding that, the incident has been devastating for the entire people of the State.
He welcomed the idea of the federal government for sending a committee of experts to come and take lab tests on the purported area of mining to determine the kind of resources contained in it.
The farmer governor once again re-echoed the need for a proper investigation to find the root cause of the matter and forestall future recurrence.
Governor Bago used the occasion to appreciate the Nigeria Police, Army and the DSS for response which helped greatly in twarting some attempts by criminals to cause mayhem.
