A STRING of mining tragedies across Niger and Plateau States has left communities in grief as dozens of lives were lost in separate incidents of site collapses and explosions linked to illegal mining activities.
The most recent disaster struck Budu village in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, where at least five women, including a pregnant woman, were confirmed dead after an illegal mining pit caved in around 6:30pm on Tuesday, News Point Nigeria gathered.
Victims identified as Tani Abubakar (pregnant), Farida Mustapha, Farida Sule, Khadijat Abdullahi, and Zainab Usman, all residents of Budu and Panbi villages, were trapped beneath rubble as the pit collapsed.
According to a source who spoke to News Point Nigeria on condition of Anonymity, security operatives and emergency workers rushed to the scene and exhumed the bodies, which were taken to the General Hospital, Paiko.
Sadly, they were confirmed dead on arrival, and their corpses deposited at the hospital for autopsy.
Authorities have since launched investigations into the incident while warning residents against the dangers of illegal mining.
Monday’s collapse came only months after a deadly explosion in Sabon Pegi, Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State, claimed multiple lives and destroyed several buildings.
The blast, which occurred on a Sunday afternoon, left at least two confirmed dead, injured several others, and devastated nearly 20 houses.
Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion was triggered by an electrical spark that ignited illegally stockpiled explosives stored in a residential house.
According to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, preliminary investigations revealed that the explosives were being stored by a local resident, Yushua Maikampala of New Bussa, who was allegedly engaged in the illicit purchase and hoarding of mining explosives and accessories.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori made available to News Point Nigeria, the Minister described the incident as “avoidable and caused by negligence.”
He extended condolences to victims and reiterated the government’s stance against illegal handling of explosives.
“This tragic incident was avoidable. It resulted from the reckless and unlawful storage of explosives. The federal government will intensify enforcement against such illegal practices,” the Minister stated.
Meanwhile, in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, no fewer than 13 miners lost their lives in another mining site collapse earlier this year.
The Chairman of Bassa LGA, Dr. Joshua Riti, confirmed the tragedy to News Point Nigeria, describing it as “unfortunate and heartbreaking.”
The collapse occurred at a mining location straddling the boundaries between Bassa, Jos South, and Jos North LGAs, an area long known for informal and largely unregulated mining activities.
The spate of incidents across Niger and Plateau has once again drawn attention to the rising dangers of illegal mining in Nigeria’s North-Central region.
From pit collapses trapping miners underground to poorly handled explosives destroying homes and lives, the hazards remain glaring.