Three Chinese miners narrowly escaped a mob attack in Niger State after allegedly hitting a 15-year-old girl with their vehicle and fleeing the scene.
The incident occurred in Tashan-Hajiya village, Lavun Local Government Area, when the miners—Wang Sheng Guo, Zhou Oin Sheng, and Ding Xue Cai—were travelling with a police escort to a mining site in Sakaba, Kebbi State.
Their Toyota SUV, with registration number SML-61-JJ, reportedly struck Fatima Abubakar, a teenager from the village.
According to eyewitnesses, instead of stopping to assist the injured girl, the miners continued driving, prompting an angry reaction from local residents who witnessed the accident. Several villagers mounted motorcycles and chased after the fleeing vehicle.
Their pursuit led to Manigi, in Mashegu Local Government Area, where the miners’ vehicle was forced to stop due to a burst tyre and the poor condition of the road.
The mob caught up with them and reportedly damaged the vehicle in an attempt to carry out a mob attack.
However, officers from the Niger State Police Command, led by the Divisional Police Officer of Mashegu Division, intervened just in time to rescue the miners and their police escort from the crowd.
A local resident, who spoke anonymously, said the miners’ refusal to stop after the accident infuriated the villagers. “If they had shown concern for the girl, the situation wouldn’t have escalated. Fortunately, the police arrived before things got out of hand,” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, stating that calm had been restored in the area and no lives were lost.
He also confirmed that Fatima Abubakar was taken to a nearby hospital, where she is responding to treatment.
Abiodun added, “The vehicle was damaged during the incident, but the police successfully rescued the expatriates and restored normalcy.”