Police, NSCDC kill Nigerian miner while defending China citizens

A Nigerian citizen and a Chinese expatriate have lost their lives following a fight at a mining site in Idoko village in the Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The deceased have been identified as Kuang Zhang and Musa Abdullahi.

The incident happened around 4.30 pm on Tuesday when a fight broke out between some Nigerian labourers and Chinese miners, Punch reported.

A security source said some riot police officers and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who escorted two Chinese expatriates to the mining site, had shot into the air to scare away the Nigerian miners.

He added that one of the shots, however, hit a Nigerian miner and killed him on the spot, while one other was injured.

“The Chinese men, who were already scared, ran into the bush,” the source said.

“But the miners seized and beat them to a pulp before more security men deployed arrived in the area rescued them.

“I learnt one of the two expatriates died before reaching the hospital,” he added.

State police spokesperson Yemisi Opalola, who confirmed the incident, said the police had restored normalcy in the area.

Opalola said some Nigerian miners were already at the mining site when the two Chinese expatriates, escorted by riot policemen and some NSCDC operatives, arrived at the scene and ordered the workers to leave.

She said the Chinese claimed that the Federal Government and the Osun State Government had awarded them a licence to work in the area.

“But the Hausa miners refused to vacate the premises and fighting ensued,” the police spokesperson said.

“One Abdullahi Musa was shot dead and a Chinese, Kuang Zhang, was also killed.

“The corpses were deposited at the morgue of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa,” she added.