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Two Siblings Die in Niger State Mine Collapse

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Tragedy struck in Kakaki village, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, as two siblings lost their lives following the collapse of a mine where they were reportedly working.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, claimed the lives of Zubairu Ibrahim, 20, and Sadiq Ibrahim, 25, in a devastating turn of events that has left the community in mourning.

The brothers, who had not informed their parents of their plans, left home on the fateful day to join others in search of solid minerals at the mine site.

Their absence was first noticed when they did not return for dinner and evening prayers. Initially, their father, Zubairu Ibrahim, believed they were with friends, but later learned that they had gone to the mining site to dig for gold.

A frantic search was initiated by community members, led by their distraught father.

Hours later, the search party discovered the lifeless bodies of the siblings buried under the collapsed soil at the mine site. The loss has thrown the family and the entire village into deep sorrow.

This incident comes months after a similar tragedy occurred in Shiroro, Niger State, where several miners also lost their lives in a mine collapse. The recurrence of such incidents has raised concerns over the safety of informal mining activities in the region.

The Ministry of Mines and Solid Mineral Resources, through its spokesperson, Mrs. Maureen Dibie, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.

In a statement, Dibie revealed that a delegation from the ministry, led by the Permanent Secretary, Yunusa Nahauni, visited the bereaved family on Sunday to offer condolences and conduct a fact-finding mission.

The team included directors from the ministry, representatives from the Miners Association, and the Caretaker Chairman of the State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Mines Workers.

During the visit, the father of the deceased expressed his profound grief over the loss of his two sons, lamenting the harsh reality of life after their untimely death.

Speaking on behalf of the ministry, Nahauni expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, stressing that the incident could have been avoided if the community had adhered to the Governor’s directive, which had suspended all mining activities in the state. He reiterated the need for strict compliance with safety regulations to prevent such occurrences in the future.

 

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Akwa Ibom Police Commissioner, Ayilara, Passes Away

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CP Waheed Ayilara

The Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Waheed Ayilara, has died.

Ayilara passed away in the early hours of Thursday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, following a prostate cancer surgery on Wednesday.

Sources close to the family disclosed that Ayilara’s health deteriorated after the surgery, leading to his untimely death just hours later.

“We are very sad to inform you that our friend, brother, and family member, the Commissioner of Police for Akwa Ibom State, Waheed Ayilara, is dead,” a family source said.

A senior police officer in Akwa Ibom State, who preferred to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak on the matter, also confirmed Ayilara’s death.

According to Channels Television, when contacted for confirmation, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, ASP Timfon John, stated that “the command cannot make any comment until an official statement by the family is received.”

Ayilara was appointed as the Acting Commissioner of Police in Lagos in November 2023 while still a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).

He took over from AIG Idowu Owohunwa as the head of the State Criminal Investigation Department before being deployed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to lead the Akwa Ibom State Command in February 2024.

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Yobe in Crisis: Floods Isolate Seven LGAs from State Capital

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A major flood has severed the Potiskum-Gashua federal road in Yobe State, cutting off six local government areas in northern Yobe from accessing Damaturu, the state capital.

The flooding, which occurred on Tuesday, August 28, 2024, was triggered by a heavy flow of water from the Jama’are River in Bauchi State.

The affected local government areas include Jakusko, Bade, Karasuwa, Nguru, Yusufari, and Machina.

As a result, residents are now forced to take alternative routes through the Bayamari-Dapchi road, which is plagued by a poor road network, or detour through Hadejia in Jigawa State.

Samaila Musa, Chairman of Nangere Local Government Area, who visited the site of the flood damage, expressed concerns over the impact on the local economy, particularly on agricultural and commercial activities.

“I visited the road that was cut off, and it has already started affecting our economic and agricultural activities, especially those that will be coming to the livestock market in Potiskum. I am on my way to meet the Deputy Governor and inform him of the situation,” said Musa.

The incident has severely disrupted travel and the movement of goods, particularly affecting those commuting to the Potiskum livestock market, one of the region’s key economic hubs.

Efforts to reach the Controller of the Federal Ministry of Works for comments were unsuccessful, as his phone number was not reachable.

Local engineers have called on the federal government to construct a mini bridge in the affected area to prevent the annual washing away of the road by floodwaters, a recurring problem that disrupts connectivity and economic activities in the region.

The current situation underscores the urgent need for infrastructural improvements to mitigate the impacts of seasonal flooding on essential road networks in Yobe State.

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Nigeria’s Devastating Floods: 49 Lives Lost, Over 41,000 Displaced

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At least 49 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in Nigeria’s northeast following heavy rains that triggered devastating floods, the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) reported on Monday.

The states hardest hit by the flooding—Jigawa, Adamawa, and Taraba—have seen 41,344 people displaced from their homes, according to NEMA spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel.

This disaster comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with the aftermath of its worst flooding in over a decade, which struck in 2022, claiming more than 600 lives, displacing around 1.4 million people, and ravaging 440,000 hectares of farmland.

“We are just entering into the peak of the season, particularly in the northern part of the country and the situation is very dire,” Ezekiel told Reuters.

The floods have not only caused significant human displacement but also inflicted severe damage on the agricultural sector, with approximately 693 hectares of farmland destroyed. This further exacerbates Nigeria’s economic challenges, as the country battles double-digit inflation, largely driven by soaring food prices.

The impact on farming is especially concerning in the northeast, where farmers are already abandoning their lands due to persistent militant attacks, compounding the region’s food security issues.

Earlier this year, the government’s flood outlook had warned that 31 of Nigeria’s 36 states were at risk of experiencing severe flooding.

“We also have information about the high tide in the upper countries of the River Niger before Nigeria. All of these are flowing towards Nigeria. We are beginning to see a manifestation of our predictions,” Ezekiel added.

In July, NEMA had issued warnings of impending major floods in certain Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State.

During a workshop in Port Harcourt focused on “Downscaling of flood early warning strategies for early actions,” NEMA’s Director of Risk Reduction, Godwin Tepikor, urged local government authorities to take proactive measures to mitigate the flood’s impact.

The agency’s Zonal Director, Babatunde Adebiyi, identified 13 LGAs in Rivers State as high-risk areas, including Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Degema, and Ahoada East and West. The agency is working to prepare these communities for the anticipated flooding.

In addition, NEMA has predicted that eight LGAs in Zamfara State will face moderate flooding during the 2024 rainy season.

According to the agency’s Director-General in Zamfara, Zubaida Umar, these areas include Bugundu, Gummi, Gusau, Bakura, Maradun, Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, and Zurmi.

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), in its 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, has highlighted that 31 states with 148 LGAs are at high risk of flooding, while 35 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with 249 LGAs, are considered to be at moderate risk. The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted to experience low flood risk.

As the rainy season progresses, authorities and communities remain on high alert, bracing for what could be another catastrophic year of flooding in Nigeria.

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