The federal government has confirmed the death of 13 out of 15 miners who were trapped after a mine pit collapsed in Jabaka village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, last Thursday.
The confirmation was contained in a statement released in Abuja on Sunday by Segun Tomori, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake.
Alake directed the immediate deployment of federal mines officers to coordinate rescue operations in partnership with state authorities.
As of the time of reporting, two victims were still trapped in the collapsed pit.
The minister, describing the tragedy as both “avoidable and unfortunate,” vowed that the site would be sealed off once recovery operations were concluded.
“I received with deep shock the report of the unfortunate incident in Zamfara, which has unfortunately resulted in some casualties. Our first responders have been mobilized to the site and are working with officials of the state government on rescue operations, after which the site will be sealed off,” he said.
Preliminary findings indicated that the site, known for its loose sandy soil with traces of gold, had been exploited by illegal miners using crude tools despite the high environmental and safety risks.
It would be recalled that in an effort to combat illegal mining, the minister launched the mining marshals over a year ago, a move that led to the arrest of more than 300 illegal miners across 10 states and the FCT, as well as the sealing of 98 illegal sites nationwide.
Alake noted that plans were in place to scale up the operations of the mining marshals with additional manpower and logistics.
To further improve oversight, the ministry has begun installing satellite surveillance systems to enable real-time monitoring of mining operations across the country.
While awaiting the outcome of a full investigation into the Zamfara incident, Alake reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal mining.
“We will not relent until we rid this country of the nefarious activities of illegal miners. With satellite surveillance and other enforcement measures underway, we aim to drastically reduce mine collapses across the country and tighten the noose around sponsors of illegal mining,” the minister warned.