No fewer than 33 persons have been killed in Plateau State as a result of collapsed mining sites in some communities within the past two months.
The Secretary of the Plateau Indigenous Miners Association, Barkin Ladi LGA, Pam Daniel, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday, during an event organised for artisanal miners and farmers which held in the council area.
Daniel described the frequent collapse of mining sites in Barkin Ladi communities as worrisome, noting that the situation was posing a danger to the lives of the people particularly the youths in the council area.
He appealed to the government to intervene in the situation while calling for more sensitisation of the people to curb the ugly trend.
Daniel said, “From time to time, we do have mining sites collapsing in Barkin Ladi communities because mining activities have become part of the livelihood of the people in this area. Just some weeks back in August, a mining site collapsed in a Hwol Gassa community.
“Seven persons were pulled out dead from the mining site while three persons were injured and taken to the hospital. We did not know how many persons were inside the mining site when it collapsed, a register was later opened in the community if there were any missing persons and a total of 33 persons were found to be missing. From that time till date, we have not seen those people because they were suspected to have been buried underneath the collapsed mining site. Because some of these things happen in rural communities, they are not reported but that is the situation we have found ourselves in.
The community leader added, “Many children no longer go to school in Barkin Ladi communities because of mining. This is not good for the growth and development of our society. And every year, we hear of huge amounts of money budgeted for mining but we the artisanal miners don’t benefit from it. That is why we are calling on the government to assist us. If they can’t assist us with funds to enhance our, they can assist us with the necessary equipment to minimise the dangers inherent in mining operations.”
The Team Lead for Plateau Youth Climate Justice and Accountability Initiative, Daniel Mark, and the Project Officer, Opeyemi Osarumwense said the essence of organising the stakeholder’s engagement was to assess the challenges being faced by the people in the mining community to address them.
The Team Lead said, “As an organisation, we believe in advocating for solutions and one of those solutions is climate justice and sustainable mining practices within the community. From this meeting, we want the people to know that mining is not just done and the land is left degraded without reclamation. Because the vegetation is destroyed after mining, there should also be enforcement of tree planting to replace them. We are ready to work with the people to ensure that lives are not only saved but that climate justice is done in the mining community.”
The paramount ruler of Barkin Ladi, Edward Gyang Bot, thanked the non-governmental organisation for organising the event in the interest of his people.
“I believe when the right thing is done in our mining communities, our people will be happy and the society will be better for it”, the paramount ruler added.
