JUST-IN: 3 Feared Dead In Stampede At Niger Government House

Three people were feared dead in a stampede at the Niger State Government House in Minna on Tuesday night as youths and women gathered to show solidarity with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

The crowd reportedly began swelling shortly after the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, visited the governor to commiserate with him over the death of 37 suspected illegal miners.

An eyewitness said the situation became uncontrollable after rumours spread that the governor was sharing money at the Government House.

The crowd reportedly continued to increase until about 10pm, with the situation becoming more chaotic when Governor Bago came out to address the gathering.

According to the eyewitness, the governor was unable to get the crowd to listen and subsequently returned inside the Government House.

Although there was no official confirmation of the reported deaths as of press time, a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that an incident occurred at the Government House.

The official, however, did not provide details on the number of casualties.

Details later…