Adamawa pit collapse: Poor collaboration responsible for death of 22 — Minister
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for enhanced cooperation between stakeholders in the solid minerals sector and the National Parks Service to tackle illegal mining and reduce incidents of mine pit collapses.
This statement follows the recent tragedy in the Gashaka-Gunti National Park in Adamawa State, where 22 people lost their lives due to a pit collapse caused by illegal mining activities.
A release from the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Thursday confirmed that the Ministry is actively monitoring the situation. The collapse, according to initial investigations, was the result of unauthorised mining operations in the area.
Dr. Alake explained that field reports from technical inspections revealed that the lack of professional mining practices by artisanal miners engaged in illegal activities was a primary factor behind the collapse.
The statement noted, “Dr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has called for greater collaboration between the relevant stakeholders in the solid minerals sector and the National Parks Service to address illegal mining and prevent future pit collapses.”
According to the technical inspection report, “The pit collapse in Adamawa was linked to the absence of proper mining techniques by artisanal miners involved in illegal activities, which led to the structural failure of the pit.”
The Minister urged illegal miners to cease endangering their lives by resorting to unsafe mining practices and instead suggested they form mining cooperatives. He encouraged them to approach the Ministry for the necessary permits and licences to operate legally.
Dr. Alake reminded the public that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act and related regulations strictly prohibit mining within national parks, emphasising that such activities threaten the preservation of Nigeria’s virgin forests, plant life, and wildlife under federal protection.
The Minister also recalled that the Ministry and the National Parks Service had previously discussed strategies to curb mining in protected areas. He urged officials of the National Parks Service to report any illegal mining activities to the nearest Federal Mines Officer for swift intervention.
To prevent future occurrences, Dr. Alake called on local government authorities to take a more proactive role in monitoring illegal mining within their regions and collaborate with the Ministry’s state offices to ensure the effectiveness of early warning systems designed to combat these activities.
He added that the Ministry has been sponsoring educational radio programs on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON) to raise awareness about the dangers of illegal mining. These programs also highlight the benefits of joining mining cooperatives and accessing training and empowerment opportunities provided by the Ministry. The radio content is translated into nine local Nigerian languages to better reach artisanal miners, many of whom do not speak English.
The Minister also shared that the Ministry’s artisanal mining department is planning additional engagement initiatives to foster stronger relationships and trust between the government and artisanal miners.
Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, where over 50 miners were trapped in a collapsed 400-metre-deep pit. The miners, left without rescue for over a month, tragically perished as a result of the collapse.
