A mother and her daughter have reportedly died following the stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna on Tuesday.
SaharaReporters learnt they were among residents who gathered to collect ₦5000 being distributed by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
SaharaReporters gathered that the woman and her daughter were among those caught in the stampede when a large crowd gathered at the Government House.
Another person was also reportedly killed in the incident, bringing the number of confirmed deaths from the stampede to at least three.
Hauwa Muhammad Kuta, who said she lived near the victims, confirmed their deaths in a social media post.
“I just lost my neighbour and her mother,” she wrote.
The development comes hours after SaharaReporters reported that at least three people had died while six others were in critical condition following the stampede at the Government House.
A source close to the state government, who was present at the event, told SaharaReporters that the incident occurred after Bago gathered youths at the Government House amid plans for a fresh protest in Minna over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
“There was a stampede at Government House today and three people died as a result.
“Six youths are in emergency in critical condition. The governor gathered people at Government House this evening to share money, that was why people were there.
“They left the Government House gate open, everywhere was choked.
“The governor is in the state. He gathered youths today. You know there is this plan of protest coming up on Thursday. So he gathered youths to tell them that they should disassociate themselves from it, anything protest. So from there, he started sharing money,” the source said.
The source said the large crowd gathered after the Government House gate was left open, resulting in severe overcrowding before the stampede occurred.
The latest incident is coming amid heightened tension in Minna following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in NSCDC custody.
The victims were among scores of people arrested during anti-illegal mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16. Their deaths were discovered on September 17.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna, with demonstrators demanding justice and accountability over the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Security forces deployed tear gas and opened fire during the unrest, while the state government imposed a curfew to contain the situation.
The cause of the 37 deaths remains under investigation, with the Federal Government having constituted a 10-member independent investigative committee to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
When contacted, Niger State Police Command spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, advised SaharaReporters to contact the governor’s press secretary to verify the development.
“Get the press secretary (to the governor) to verify,” Abiodun said.
(SaharaReporters)
