The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has led a Federal Government delegation to Niger State to commiserate with the state government over the deaths of 37 artisanal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Mr Tunji-Ojo described the incident as a sad development for the people of Minna, Niger State and Nigeria as a whole.

The minister said Niger State remained an important state in the country and expressed concern that the incident occurred at a time when the state was recording developments in several sectors.

He also acknowledged the efforts of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago in strengthening homeland and internal security measures in the state.

According to him, the Ministry of Interior would work with relevant authorities to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Mr Tunji-Ojo assured the state government that the ministry would pursue the matter to its conclusion and work to prevent a recurrence.

He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to continued collaboration with the Niger State Government on security and related matters.

Responding, Governor Bago thanked the Federal Government for its prompt response and the condolence visit.

The governor described the deaths as devastating to the people of Niger State and reiterated the need for a thorough investigation to establish the root cause of the incident.

Mr Bago also welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to deploy a team of experts to conduct laboratory tests on samples from the mining area.

He said the tests would help determine the nature of the mineral resources in the area and provide relevant scientific information that could assist the ongoing investigation.

The governor stressed that establishing the actual cause of the deaths was necessary to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.

He also commended the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army and Department of State Services (DSS) for their response following the incident.

According to him, the security agencies’ intervention helped to prevent some attempts by criminal elements to exploit the situation and cause further unrest in the state.