The village of Galadima-Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State, has been struck by tragedy as four more bodies were recovered from a collapsed mining pit, nearly two months after the disaster occurred. The incident, which took place on June 14, trapped 14 miners and claimed multiple lives.
The Village Head of Galadima-Kogo, Alhaji Umaru Aliyu, confirmed the recovery of the bodies during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday. He explained that the four bodies were found on Wednesday, believed to be the last of the miners who were trapped when the pit collapsed.
“The bodies of the remaining four miners that were trapped inside the pit have been recovered and their bodies have been deposited in the mortuary in Minna,” Aliyu stated.
He added that the recovered miners included two Muslims and two Christians.
“One of the Christian victims was from Nasarawa State, while the other was from Zumba, in Shiroro Local Government. The family of the Nasarawa victim has requested that his body be taken to Nasarawa for burial, while the remaining Christian and the two Muslims will be buried in Minna on Friday,” he added.
The recovery of the bodies marks a somber end to the search efforts that began immediately after the collapse. Initially, 10 bodies were retrieved, but four miners remained missing until this latest discovery. Many others sustained injuries during the collapse, further compounding the community’s grief.
Alhaji Aliyu credited the successful recovery to a joint effort between the local community and staff from African Minerals and Logistics Ltd, the company involved in the mining operation. Despite these efforts, the incident has left the community in deep mourning and raised questions about accountability.
Families of the victims have expressed frustration with the response from both the state government and the company responsible for the mining pit. Suleiman Isah, a relative of one of the deceased miners, voiced his disappointment in an earlier interview with The PUNCH.
“This accident affected one of my brothers—my blood brother. For now, they have already buried nine people, and we were still expecting five people from the pit. We have not heard anything from either the company or the state government,” Isah lamented.
The tragedy has prompted calls for compensation from the affected families, who have signaled that they may pursue legal action if their demands are not met.
“We expect them to pay compensation. That is what they should do. We are hearing from some people that the company is going to do something, but they are trying to remove those corpses that are remaining in the pit,” Isah explained.