The federal government has taken charge of rescue efforts, following the tragic collapse of a mine pit in Kadauri Village of Maru local government area of Zamfara State.
Responding swiftly to the incident, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development deployed Federal Mines Officers in Zamfara to coordinate search and rescue operations at the site.
According to Segun Tomori, the special assistant on Media to the Minister, Dr. Dele Alake, the collapse was triggered by heavy rainfall, worsened by the unlawful activities of illegal miners.
At least 15 itinerant miners were trapped beneath the rubble. As of the latest reports, 13 bodies have been recovered without survivors while efforts continued to locate the remaining two victims.
Dr. Alake described the incident as both “avoidable and unfortunate,” expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives.
“I received with deep shock the report of the unfortunate incident in Zamfara which has unfortunately resulted in some casualties. Our first responders have been mobilised to the site and are working with officials of the state government on rescue operations, after which the site will be sealed off,” the Minister stated.
Preliminary investigations by the Ministry reveal that the area, known for its loose sandy terrain and gold traces, was being exploited through unsafe alluvial mining by illegal operators.
The ministry noted that once gold was detected, unregulated miners moved in with rudimentary tools, ignoring both environmental risks and safety protocols.
Alake recalled that over the past year, the Mining Marshals initiative, a dedicated security taskforce, has led to the arrest of over 300 illegal miners across 10 states and the FCT, and the sealing of 98 illegal mining sites.
He noted that efforts were ongoing to scale up the marshals’ presence and logistics across the country.
While awaiting a comprehensive report from the ongoing investigation into the Kadauri mine collapse, the Minister pledged, “We will not relent until we rid this country of the nefarious activities of illegal miners. Despite our vast land mass, we remain undaunted. With satellite surveillance and other enforcement measures underway, we aim to drastically reduce mine collapses across the country and tighten the noose around sponsors of illegal mining.”
The federal government extended its condolences to the families of the victims and assured that effort was being made to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies.
