Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Nigerian federal government and state authorities to intensify regulatory efforts to curb illegal mining, warning of potential disasters if such activities continue unchecked.
The appeal comes after a fatal collapse on November 6 at an illegal mining site within Gashaka-Gumti National Park, which spans Taraba and Adamawa States.
The tragedy, which left approximately 30 miners presumed dead, highlights the dangers inherent in unregulated mining zones, according to CAPPA’s statement issued over the weekend.
CAPPA expressed concerns about the growing incidents of mining pit collapses and illegal mining camps across Nigeria, questioning the effectiveness of monitoring teams like the Mines Surveillance Task Team.
“Despite existing regulations, illegal mining continues to proliferate, revealing serious gaps in enforcement, often at the expense of local communities,” the organization stated.
The group’s field reports reveal abandoned mining camps, often operated by foreign, especially Chinese, interests in states like Nasarawa, Osun, and Ekiti. Artisanal miners, including vulnerable groups such as women and children, frequently work under unsafe conditions, digging deep with minimal equipment, CAPPA noted.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, condemned the environmental degradation and community hazards resulting from such unregulated practices.
“This unregulated extraction not only facilitates the plunder of communal resources but also leads to severe environmental degradation,” he said.
CAPPA further highlighted the socio-economic factors driving individuals into high-risk mining.
“Poverty, created and sustained by systemic exclusion, forces many to engage in dangerous mining operations as a means of survival,” the organization explained.
Amid the global demand for minerals to fuel the “green transition,” CAPPA warned that resource-rich communities could face cycles of exploitation unless granted a fair share of their resources’ wealth.
