Eight children have died while two others are in critical condition after a pit caved in the Badariya area of Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State on Saturday.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the pit caved in and collapsed on the children while they were collecting sand.
Confirming the incident to BBC Hausa, as monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, the Chairman of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area, Dahiru Ambursa, said the children were Almajirai who went there to collect sand.
Almajarai are children placed in the care of Islamic clerics to learn Quranic education. However, many of them are used for menial jobs and begging by the clerics.
MrAmbursa said the local government administration has sealed off the pits to avoid future occurrences.
“We’ve sealed off all the pits with barbed wire. We’ve also indicated that there would be no more activities around the place. As part of efforts to ensure compliance, we’ve directed village heads to inform people in their domains that they must not go to the place with the intent of collecting sand for any use,” he said.
Responding to journalists in Birnin Kebbi, the Islamic teacher of the children, Dan-Umma, said he instructed them to get sand from the pit to mend holes in their room.
“I assigned them to go to the top of the hill near the school to excavate clay and gravel to mend the holes inside their rooms against the upcoming flood. In the process, I was told a heavy chunk of the laterite fell on them.
“I immediately rushed to the scene of the incident where I confirmed seven of them were dead and one other who survived was rushed to the hospital in Birnin Kebbi,” he stated.
Sand mining is rampant in many parts of the country.
A PREMIUM TIMES report showed how sand mining affects farming communities and degrades land in Kano State.
Credit: premiumtimesng.com
