Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
For more than a century, Plateau State has been Nigeria's mining heartland. Tin, columbite, tantalite, and gemstones lie beneath its soil, drawing thousands of young men and women into pits and tunnels in search of a living. But today, that search for survival has become a gamble with death. Miners are being buried alive in collapsing pits, shot down by armed militants, and trapped in abandoned ponds that have become watery graves. The latest tragedy struck on Wednesday evening, August 12, 2026, when seven miners lost their lives after a mining pit collapsed in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
Nehemiah Bot, one of the survivors, was standing close to the pit when the earth gave way. "I was outside, close to the collapsed pit, when we suddenly heard a sound and the ground caved in," he told Vanguard. He and other miners immediately raised the alarm, knowing their colleagues were trapped inside. Residents rushed to the site with tools, digging frantically through the debris. Another survivor, Francis Haruna, said they worked amid panic as relatives gathered, hoping for survivors. But all seven were recovered dead.
The Kassa tragedy is not an isolated incident. Just six weeks earlier, on June 30, 2026, three miners were killed when gunmen attacked the Nyango/Gyere mining site in Jos South Local Government Area. On June 16, 2026, five youths were killed in a similar attack at Gero Village, Gyel District. Before that, on January 22, 2026, seven miners were shot dead at an illegal mining site in Kuru, Jos South. In Barkin Ladi, at least 12 miners were killed by suspected militants at Ratoso Fan, while four others died in a mine collapse in Dura. In November 2024, 13 young people died when an artisanal mining site collapsed on them in Bassa. A review of media reports identified at least 13 attacks on mining sites across Plateau State between 2021 and 2026, linked to an estimated death toll of at least 70.
For artisanal miner Peter Jerry Fulus, who has spent 10 years in the pits, the risks are clear, but so is the reality of survival. "We are aware of the dangers, but we have to feed and survive," he said. Joseph Nyam, another miner, echoed the same sentiment. "We understand the risk involved, but we believe that God would continue to protect us," he said. Walking away from mining, he added, could mean losing the income needed to feed families, pay rent, and support children.
The dangers come from two directions: the ground beneath and the guns above. Dr Kehinde Ogunmola, a lecturer in the Department of Geology at the University of Jos, explained that many mine collapses in Plateau can be traced to rudimentary tools and a disregard for safety standards. "Many mining sites might have loose, sandy, or weathered soil, which is prone to sudden collapse," he said. He identified torrential rainfall, unprofessional mine construction, and retreat mining—where support pillars are removed during excavation—as major causes of collapses. Night mining, which has become rampant, compounds the risks through poor visibility, fatigue, and little or no professional supervision.
The problem of illegal night mining has turned an environmental and regulatory issue into a full-blown security crisis. Miners reportedly enter abandoned ponds and old mining areas under the cover of darkness to avoid government officials. These isolated sites, with their cash transactions and weak security, have become attractive to criminal elements and armed groups. The pattern is clear: militants and bandits have discovered that mining sites offer easy targets—workers with little protection, valuable minerals, and the promise of ransom.
The danger does not end when miners leave. Plateau's long mining history has left thousands of abandoned pits and ponds across old mining areas. Many have filled with stagnant water and are located close to homes, farms, roads, and schools. Geologist Jude Ajang said abandoned mining ponds were a major threat, particularly to children. "Bodies are often recovered days later after desperate searches by families and neighbours," he said. The ponds also contribute to environmental degradation and can overflow during the rainy season, causing flooding.
The human cost extends beyond death. A secondary school teacher in Barkin Ladi told Vanguard that the lure of quick money from mining was contributing to school dropouts. Children who should be in classrooms are increasingly exposed to mining and its dangers. Governor Caleb Mutfwang's administration found distressingly high dropout rates in mining communities, particularly in Bassa, Riyom, Jos South, and Barkin Ladi. Some classrooms are virtually empty, and cases have been uncovered where parents in Bassa were sending children into child labour.
For Mutfwang, illegal mining is no longer merely an issue of minerals and revenue. He has linked it to three dangerous trends: the destruction of education, insecurity, and environmental degradation. In February 2025, he signed Executive Order 001, temporarily suspending mining activities across Plateau. The government set up a technical committee to examine the sector and recommend regulatory measures. In May 2025, the task force announced that 159 mining companies and operators had been screened and cleared to resume operations. But enforcing these measures has remained difficult. Night mining continues. The deaths continue.
Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, told Vanguard that the Mutfwang administration remains focused on sanitising, reforming, regulating, and cleaning up the mining sector. She said the government was particularly concerned about illegal and unregulated artisanal mining because of its links to insecurity, environmental degradation, child labour, school dropouts, drug abuse, and other social vices.
For miners like Fulus and Nyam, however, the dilemma remains stark. Mining is dangerous, but for many, walking away from it is not an easy option. Until safer mining practices, stronger regulation, and improved security become realities, Plateau's mineral wealth risks continuing to come at a devastating human cost.
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