Federal Government has confirmed the death of three miners in Niger state after a new mine collapsed.
Gatekeepers News reports that this is the second mine collapse in the month of June.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, disclosed this in a statement through his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Saturday in Abuja.
The collapse occurred on Thursday in Bazakwoi, a village in the Adunu community, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger, where local miners were allegedly mining for gold illegally.
According to the statement, owners of licensed land units mined illegally will lose their titles.
The minister noted that preliminary investigations indicated that the collapsed mine was in an area under Exploration Licence 43113, granted to JURASSIC MINES Limited in Adunu Village, Paikoro Local Government Area, Niger State.
The statement clarified that an exploration license permits an applicant to confirm the site’s suitability for proposed mineral exploration but does not authorize mining activities.
Addressing the ministry’s response, Alake confirmed receiving news of the accident around 4:45 pm on Thursday, where three people died in a gold mining tunnel collapse at the site. He further stated that inquiries revealed the miners were operating illegally.
The statement reads, “The ministry promptly mobilised its mine officers, who arrived at the site around 6:15 pm. Officials were informed that three men were killed in the accident and have since been buried.”
“At the time of the visit, work had stopped at the site, and only onlookers were seen. The coordinates of the site were taken, and officials returned to Minna at about 8.30 pm. The owners of the company were contacted by phone, but they claimed ignorance of happenings in the site. They were then summoned to the office in the state capital,”
The minister stated that he would communicate further developments as they unfold.
