The federal government has launched an investigation into the explosion that occurred on Sunday at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, made this announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, pledging that those responsible will face justice.

Alake disclosed that officials from the Federal Mines Office have been dispatched to the blast site for an on-the-spot assessment. Preliminary findings indicate that the explosion resulted from illegal stockpiling of explosives by Yushua Maikampala, a resident of New Bussa, who is alleged to have been involved in purchasing and storing explosives in a house at Sabon Pegi.

Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion, caused by an electrical spark around 7 a.m. on Sunday, destroyed the building where the explosives were kept and damaged approximately 20 nearby houses. At least two fatalities have been confirmed in the incident.

Calling the explosion avoidable, the minister attributed it to negligence surrounding the illegal storage of explosives. He directed the Mines Inspectorate Department to conduct a forensic analysis of soil samples from the blast site to trace the source of the explosives, which will inform further action.

“Security agencies are actively pursuing the suspected culprit. He will be apprehended to face justice,” Alake assured.

The minister also referenced a similar incident last year in Ibadan, Oyo State, where a massive explosion caused by illegal miners killed two people and injured 77 others. In that case, the federal government conducted a forensic inquiry and prosecuted three individuals based on its findings.