Following the deaths of several villagers due to toxic gas exposure, the Federal Government has shut down a mining site in Wase, Plateau State.
The affected area, under Mining License 11810, is operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, conveyed his condolences to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, mourning the “innocent citizens” who lost their lives while seeking a livelihood.
A high-level probe, headed by Permanent Secretary Yusuf Yabo, has been launched to investigate the circumstances surrounding the emissions and propose disciplinary actions against those responsible.
“The team also includes experts in mining, environmental compliance, and artisanal cooperatives. The minister is coordinating the team and the support services to ensure effective management of the situation.
“The actions were taken as preliminary reports indicated that the company ceded the pit where the incident took place to the community to mine following agitations by villagers for empowerment,” the statement, signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the minister, Segun Tomori, read in part.
It said findings showed that the area was an abandoned lead site with the stored mineral prone to emissions of sulphuric oxide.
“Unaware of the poisonous nature of the emissions, the villagers reportedly engaged in extraction while inhaling the gaseous substance.
“ML 11810 lies between longitudes 10.34.45, and 10.35.50 and latitudes 9.13.45, 9.14.40,” it added.
As investigators dig into the cause of the leak, the Minister assured the public that more details would be disclosed soon.
The incident, which claimed several lives, has cast a spotlight on the “death traps” created by unsafe mining habits in the area.
Local youth leader Shafi Sambo described receiving an urgent call at dawn, marking the beginning of a somber day for the Wase community.
“It happened at a mining site in Company Zurak, Wase Local Government. We got information that the miners dug deep into the ground and were exposed to a gas that killed 37 of them instantly,” Sambo said in a telephone interview.
He stated that several other miners were rescued alive and rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention, though the exact number of survivors remains unclear as of press time.
Sambo disclosed that the youths were mining zinc on behalf of a company said to be a Chinese-owned mining firm operating in the area.
The nature of the mineral being mined was not immediately confirmed.
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