Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has called on the federal government and state authorities to enforce strict monitoring and regulatory measures against illegal mining activities to prevent further avoidable tragedies across the country.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, made the call in a statement signed by the Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe, in response to the recent collapse of an illegal mining pit located within a national game reserve spanning Gashaka Local Government Area in Taraba State and Toungo Local Government Area in Adamawa State.
The statement said the accident, which took place on Wednesday, November 6, has claimed the lives of about 30 gold miners.
CAPPA expressed deep concern over the incidences of illegal mine camps and even mines collapse across the country, saying that the challenges now cast doubt on the operational effectiveness of the Mines Surveillance Task Team as well as other monitoring outfits designed to regulate such occurrences.
The statement read, “Despite existing regulations, illegal mining continues to proliferate, revealing serious gaps in enforcement, often at the expense of local communities.
“Our field investigations have uncovered illegal and abandoned mining camps operated by local and foreign, often Chinese interests in states like Nasarawa, Osun and Ekiti, among others.
“Artisanal miners, primarily impoverished locals and vulnerable groups such as women and children, risk their lives digging as deep as 200 feet with nothing but shovels and minimal safety measures and equipment.
“This unregulated extraction not only facilitates the plunder of communal resources but also leads to severe environmental degradation, leaving behind hazardous open pits that endanger not only the miners but the broader community alike.”
The organisation said there was pressing need to address the socioeconomic conditions that compel locals into unsafe mining practices, reflecting that poverty, created and sustained by systemic exclusion, forces many to engage in dangerous mining operations as a means of survival.
CAPPA warned that as global capital now drives a frenzy for minerals to support a “green transition,” mineral-rich communities in Nigeria will remain locked in cycles of exploitation and danger unless they are allowed a rightful stake in the wealth extracted from their lands.
The organisation noted that though the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Department (ASSMD) under the Ministry of Mines and Steel is tasked with helping small-scale and artisanal miners formalize their operations and access support, costs of obtaining a mining lease and other official requirements make this process difficult for many.
“For instance, recent revisions to the fees for obtaining a Small-Scale Mining Lease as announced by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in July, now stands at N300,000 for two Cadastre units as opposed to an initial N10,000. While this fee might seem modest for mining cooperatives and corporate interests, it is unrealisable for many impoverished individuals and communities who rely on artisanal mining for survival.
The statement urged the federal government to reform mining policy to make licensing processes accessible and affordable for local communities and small-scale miners.
The organisation suggested reducing licensing fees, simplifying application processes, and providing technical and educational support to equip small-scale miners with safer, legal pathways.
In addition to overseeing regulatory reforms and robust enforcement against unauthorized mining camps, CAPPA demanded that corporations exploiting resource-rich areas across the country be held accountable for any human rights and environmental violations they cause.
The organisation called on state governments to exercise strict oversight of corporate mining operations, enforcing penalties, including license revocations and financial reparations, to deter corporations from bypassing safety and regulatory obligations.
