Mining

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The collapse of a mining site in the hamlet of Kogo Kadage, located in the Yadagungume neighbourhood of the Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State, resulted in the deaths of four illegal miners.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday night while the miners dug up lead and attempted to remove it.

According to an anonymous source, they had been mining and excavating lead, one of the local mineral resources, for more than a month when, all of a sudden, one of the holes they had excavated collapsed and buried them beneath.

He noted that as the four miners were taken away from the collapsed site, they passed away instantly.

Ibrahim Zubairu, the chairman of the caretaker committee for the Ningi LGA, described the incident as tragic and sad, stating that three of the four people who were trapped in the pit perished instantly.

According to him, the illegal mining facility is situated seven kilometres from Yadagungume town in the Kogo Kadage forest.

“Yesterday (Saturday), I was informed that four people were trapped in a mining pit, I directed that they should be rescued. Later on, they reported back to me that they recovered three bodies.

“I don’t know about the illegal activities of the locals because we have banned all sorts of illegal mining in the entire local government area, it came to me as a surprise when I got the report of the incidence,” he said.

By Muhammadu Sabiu
 
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ilorin have apprehended 13 Chinese nationals for illegal mining activities in Kwara State.
 
The EFCC revealed this via a statement on its social media handles on Friday evening.
 
According to the anti-graft body, “the offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983.”
 
This paper understands that the suspects, who include a female and 12 males, were detained on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the Government Reserved Area, G.R.A. Ilorin, after obtaining reliable information about their unlawful activities, which included illegal mining and failure to pay royalties to the Federal Government as required by law.
 
The EFFC’s statement further reads, “Prior to their arrest, discrete investigations on the activities of illegal mining operators in Kwara State revealed that the operators have different illegal mining sites in almost all the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Women miners in Nigeria under the auspices of Women in Mining in Nigeria (WIMIN), decry molestation and abuse by male colleagues at mining sites in the country.

The Founder and National president of WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi made the disclosure at Lokoja on Sunday, December 11, 2022 and sought the intervention of the federal government to tackle the menace.

Ms Adeyemi while speaking at a capacity building workshop for artisans and small-scale miners in Lokoja, said the abuse of women at mining sites have become rampant.

She noted that women in mining have become subjects of constant molestation, are often cheated, over-laboured, underpaid, and even raped by male colleagues and staff of the mining industries.

Adeyemi who was represented by the Programme Coordinator of WIMIN, Ms Dolaraine Dennis, said that the opportunities for women in mining are enormous and they include: operators, engineers and quarry fields etc.

Adeyemi claimed that research findings have shown that 73 per cent of assault against women are verbal.

“73 per cent of assaults against women are verbal.”she said

In the remark of the Kogi State Commissioner For Women Affairs, Hajia Fatima Buba, she applauded the organisers for their support in building the capacity of women in the mining sector in the state.