The Federal Authorities has deployed rescue groups to Kadauri Village in Maru Native Authorities Space of Zamfara State following the collapse of a mine pit that claimed the lives of no less than 13 miners.
The Ministry of Strong Minerals Growth (MSMD) confirmed that Federal Mines Officers have been dispatched to coordinate ongoing rescue operations. Fifteen itinerant miners had been reportedly trapped after the pit, weakened by heavy rainfall and unlawful mining actions, caved in.
“13 victims have been recovered, sadly with no survivors. Efforts are underway to get well the remaining two nonetheless trapped,” the ministry acknowledged.
Reacting to the incident, Minister of Strong Minerals Growth, Dr. Dele Alake, described the tragedy as “avoidable and unlucky,” stressing that related departments of the ministry had been mobilized to assist rescue efforts and examine the reason for the collapse.
“I acquired with deep shock the report of the unlucky incident in Zamfara,” Alake mentioned. “Our first responders are working with state officers on rescue operations, after which the positioning can be sealed off.”
He revealed that preliminary findings confirmed the world was composed of free sand and gold deposits, making it enticing for alluvial mining. He mentioned unlawful miners had mobilized employees with rudimentary instruments regardless of the dangers.
Alake reiterated the federal government’s willpower to curb unlawful mining, noting that the mining marshals launched over a 12 months in the past had arrested over 300 unlawful miners and sealed 98 unlawful websites throughout 10 states and the FCT.
He mentioned plans are underway to increase their operations with extra personnel and logistics.
In an announcement, Alake’s Particular Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, mentioned Zamfara posed distinctive challenges because of its historical past of banditry, however assured that the Tinubu administration was addressing the difficulty by means of army clearance operations coordinated by the Nationwide Safety Adviser.
Following improved safety, the federal government had lifted the ban on mining in Zamfara in December 2024 to permit full operations to renew beneath stricter oversight.
To stop future incidents, the ministry has commenced putting in satellite tv for pc surveillance programs for real-time monitoring of mining websites and fast response to emergencies.
Alake reaffirmed the Federal Authorities’s zero-tolerance stance on unlawful mining, warning perpetrators to desist or face prosecution.
“We is not going to relent till we rid this nation of unlawful mining,” he declared. “With satellite tv for pc surveillance and stronger enforcement measures, we purpose to drastically scale back mine collapses and dismantle networks of unlawful mining sponsors.”
