Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Niger State Governor Umaru Bago has raised a national alarm over the growing exodus of male children from junior secondary schools into artisanal mining, warning that a UNICEF report projects there will be no male child in JSS2 in some local government areas by 2027. The governor made the disclosure on Sunday, September 20, 2026, during an appearance on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, where he described artisanal mining as a "menace" that has taken root in communities across the state.
"We know that gold mining in Niger State has become habitual," Bago said. "The UNICEF report on Shiroro and other LGAs says by 2027, there will not be a single male child in Grade 8, that is JSS2, Grade 7, because all of them are into artisanal mining. They have left classrooms and are not in schools. This is a problem for us." The governor's remarks came against the backdrop of the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The victims were among scores of suspects arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16, 2026, around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna.
Bago's central explanation for why the children cannot be pulled back from the mining sites was blunt and telling: they have experienced the financial returns. "These people, because they have tasted the mining money, they cannot leave that side," he said. "We need decisive action." He described his own position as governor in stark terms, acknowledging the limits of his authority. "I am in between the devil and the Red Sea because, as a governor, yes, it's in my state. As a governor, I cannot just go and order the police or military to start shooting people or arresting people. As a governor, I can only make advocacy."
The governor called for an executive order from the Presidency or the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to ban mining activities in locations identified as problematic across the state. According to him, such an order would provide the necessary legal authority to halt operations in areas where the activity has become difficult to control. "Once that is done, it can be enforced," he said.
Bago placed significant blame on parents who take their children to mining sites instead of classrooms, stressing that children involved in mining are protected under the Child Rights Act and ought to be in school. However, when pressed on whether his administration would take a tougher stance against such parents, he was cautious, describing the commitment as "a very tall order" given that Niger State accounts for about 10 per cent of Nigeria's landmass, with mineral resources scattered across the entire state.
The governor painted a broader picture of illegal economic activities driving insecurity and underdevelopment in the state. He disclosed that Niger State holds the largest concentration of forests and trees in West Africa, and that beyond gold mining, illegal logging, charcoal production, and the poaching of animals for their horns and hides were rampant. "It's not just about digging the ground," he said. "Even cutting trees, making charcoal, killing animals and selling their hides and woods, all these things are happening." He also revealed that expatriates from other countries are directly funding and operating illegal mining activities in the state, noting that the military, the Department of State Services, and the police are aware of the situation but remain constrained because of the involvement of these foreign nationals. Proceeds of the illicit trade, he said, move out of the country through Nigeria's ports and ships.
Bago's concern about the abandonment of farming is particularly acute. He cited Shiroro, which he said was once one of the most agrarian local government areas in the state, as an example of a community that has abandoned agriculture for mining. "The amount of energy they dissipate in this mining business, if they put half of it into farming, they will do better," he said. "Shiroro used to be one of the biggest local governments that was agrarian, but they have abandoned farming for mining. It's a menace, and there must be deliberate action."
The governor's remarks come amid a wider reckoning over the dangers of artisanal mining in Niger State. The deaths of the 37 detainees in NSCDC custody have triggered national outrage, with the Federal Government suspending the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and 20 other officers. A 10-member independent committee has been constituted to investigate the identities of the deceased, the circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention, and the cause of their deaths. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak but later said medical examinations would be required to determine the actual cause. Bago said he saw "a lot of corpses on the floor" when he visited the facility and noted that some of the victims were not miners. He also said the location where the suspects were arrested was not licensed for mining and was actually a housing estate.
For Niger State, the crisis is twofold. On one hand, the state is grappling with the immediate fallout of the deaths in custody and the questions they raise about the conduct of security agencies. On the other, it faces a slow-burning emergency that threatens the future of an entire generation: boys who should be in classrooms are instead in mining pits, drawn by the lure of quick money that is neither sustainable nor safe. The governor's call for federal intervention through an executive order is a recognition that the problem exceeds the capacity of a single state to solve. But the deeper question remains: even if mining is banned in problematic locations, what will bring the boys back to school? The answer, according to Bago's own assessment, lies in providing alternative opportunities that can compete with the financial appeal of the mines. Until that happens, the classrooms of Shiroro and other affected communities may continue to empty, one boy at a time.
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