A mother and her daughter have reportedly died alongside another resident following a stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna on Tuesday, after a large crowd gathered to receive ₦5,000 being distributed by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
The victims were reportedly among residents who converged on the Government House as the governor distributed cash to people gathered at the premises.
The mother and her daughter were caught in the stampede when the crowd became severely congested, according to reports from the area.
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 latest deaths bring the reported number of people killed in the stampede to at least three, while six others were reportedly left in critical condition.
A source close to the Niger State Government who was present at the Government House told SaharaReporters that the incident occurred after Bago gathered youths at the premises amid preparations for a planned 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 decision to leave the Government House gate open contributed to the large crowd and severe overcrowding that preceded the stampede.
The incident has further heightened tension in Minna, where residents have been demanding answers over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in NSCDC custody.
The 37 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 sparked protests in Minna, with demonstrators demanding justice and accountability and seeking explanations over the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Security forces were deployed during the unrest, with protesters reportedly subjected to tear gas and gunfire. The state government also imposed a curfew in an effort to contain the situation.
The Federal Government subsequently constituted a 10-member independent investigative committee to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 detainees.
The committee is expected to investigate what happened to the detainees from the time of their arrest through their detention and the events that led to their deaths.
The latest stampede has now added another layer of concern in Minna, coming at a time when tensions remain high over the deaths in NSCDC custody and amid reports of another planned protest.
However, the circumstances surrounding the Government House stampede, including the exact identities of all the deceased and the final number of injured persons, had not been independently confirmed at the time of filing this report.
When contacted, Niger State Police Command spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, directed enquiries to the governor’s press secretary.
“Get the press secretary (to the governor) to verify,” Abiodun said.