The Federal Government has directed the immediate closure of operations within areas covered by Mining Licence 11810 in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State following the reported deaths of villagers allegedly mining in a pit believed to contain harmful gaseous emissions.
The decision was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
According to the ministry, the licence is operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited, a company owned by Abdullahi Dan-China in Zuraq.
During a condolence call to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, expressed sympathy over the deaths of citizens who were reportedly attempting to earn a livelihood when the tragedy occurred.
The minister has also deployed a team of officials and investigators, headed by Permanent Secretary Yusuf Yabo, to examine both the immediate and underlying causes of the incident and to recommend appropriate sanctions where necessary.
“The team also includes experts in mining, environmental compliance, and artisanal cooperatives. The minister is coordinating the team and the support services to ensure effective management of the situation.
“The actions were taken as preliminary reports indicated that the company ceded the pit where the incident took place to the community to mine following agitations by villagers for empowerment,” the statement, signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the minister, Segun Tomori, read in part.
According to initial findings, the site was an abandoned lead mining location, with stored minerals capable of emitting sulphuric oxide. The statement noted that the villagers were unaware of the dangerous nature of the emissions and reportedly carried out extraction activities while inhaling the toxic gas.
“Unaware of the poisonous nature of the emissions, the villagers reportedly engaged in extraction while inhaling the gaseous substance.
“ML 11810 lies between longitudes 10.34.45, and 10.35.50 and latitudes 9.13.45, 9.14.40,” it added.
The minister assured the public that additional details would be provided as investigations progress.
Reports indicate that an unverified number of individuals lost their lives after suspected exposure to toxic gas at the mining site, raising fresh concerns about safety standards and regulatory enforcement within the mining sector.
The Wase Youth Leader, Shafi Sambo, stated that he received an early-morning notification about the incident due to his leadership position in the community.
“It happened at a mining site in Company Zurak, Wase Local Government. We got information that the miners dug deep into the ground and were exposed to a gas that killed 37 of them instantly,” Sambo said during a telephone conversation.
He added that several other miners were rescued and transported to nearby medical facilities for urgent treatment, although the exact number of survivors had not been confirmed as of the time of reporting.
Sambo further revealed that the youths were mining zinc on behalf of a company believed to be a Chinese-owned mining firm operating in the area. However, the specific mineral involved in the incident had not been officially verified.
What you should know
The Federal Government has shut down Mining Licence 11810 in Wase, Plateau State, after a suspected toxic gas exposure reportedly killed dozens of local miners.
Preliminary findings suggest the site was an abandoned lead location emitting dangerous sulphuric oxide. Authorities say the mining pit had been ceded to the community following empowerment agitations. A federal investigative team has been deployed to determine the causes and recommend sanctions.
The tragedy has intensified concerns about unsafe mining practices, weak environmental compliance, and regulatory lapses in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
