The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the Taraba and Adamawa State Governments to investigate a mining pit incident at an illegal mining site located within a national game reserve spanning Gashaka Local Government Area in Taraba State and Toungo Local Government Area in Adamawa State which led to 22 deaths.
It was learnt that the dead who were mainly young people were mining gold in an area known as the Buffa zone within the Gashaka-Gumti National Park, covering parts of both Gashaka and Toungo. All the 22 miners trapped in the pit are presumed dead.
The incident, involving miners from various parts of Nigeria, including Zamfara and Adamawa, comes barely three months after a similar incident in Shiroro, Niger State, which also killed dozens. Some trapped victims were reportedly abandoned by the state government for weeks until the outcry of the natives forced the authorities to scramble to recover the dead bodies.
In relation to the current incident, RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor, said: The mine collapse incident and needless deaths in the national game reserve area spanning Gashaka and Toungo LGAs in Taraba and Adamawa states respectively is one incident too many. A few months ago, it was Shiroro in Niger State.
“We have said it time and again that proper oversight functions in communities where solid minerals are extracted is practically nil. Unregulated mining perpetrated by foreign nationals, especially the Chinese and their local collaborators, is responsible for a growing number of deaths of school age children. It is unacceptable. We call on the government to investigate this incident and bring the operators of the illegal mines to book.”
Jakpor warned that the failure of government to stem the growing illegal solid minerals mining operations across the country would create situations similar to the oil belt of the Niger Delta where oil has become a curse instead of a blessing to the locals.
“We find it disturbing that at a time that the global community is strategising for host communities on the issues of governance and benefit sharing, local communities in Nigeria where solid minerals including transition minerals are mined are now becoming victims of the unregulated activities of illegal and artisan miners. This is unacceptable,” Jakpor stated.
