Plateau State, Nigeria, is endowed with a variety of mineral resources, notably tin and columbite. Historically, the exploitation of these minerals attracted both local and international interests, shaping the cosmopolitan character of Jos, the state capital.
However,
from the late 1970s, mining activities declined significantly due to a collapse
in the global prices of tin and columbite, which were then the principal
commercial minerals of value. In recent years, global advancements in science
and technology have renewed demand for these minerals, alongside others that
were previously discarded due to limited industrial application. This
resurgence has reactivated artisanal and small-scale mining across Plateau
State, providing a critical source of livelihood for large numbers of
unemployed youths.
In much
of the state, particularly in the northern zones, mineral deposits remain
widely dispersed. Women, who often lack the capacity to sink shafts, typically
engage in surface-level mining along water channels, where mineral concentrates
settle after rainfall. Artisanal miners, in contrast, commonly dig shafts that
extend between 50 and 70 feet in depth to access richer deposits, relying on
rudimentary tools such as shovels, diggers, and improvised pulley systems.
Despite
the economic opportunities mining presents, it is accompanied by severe
occupational hazards. Fatal accidents are recurrent, often involving
individuals motivated by poverty to supplement their income. For instance,
reports indicate that even professionals, such as a primary school head teacher
in December 2024, have lost their lives in mining pits while attempting to earn
additional income for their families. Similarly, women and children have also
been victims, highlighting the vulnerability of economically disadvantaged
groups.
Several
factors contribute to mining-related fatalities on the Plateau:
- Mine collapses. After reaching the mineral
“floor,” miners typically dig horizontal tunnels that may extend up to one
hundred feet. The intervening walls are expected to serve as pillars to
prevent collapse. However, when these pillars are weakened by excessive
excavation—whether by miners seeking additional ore or children scavenging
nearby—the structural integrity of the mine is compromised, leading to
collapses that often trap or kill those underground.
- Water inundation. Abandoned mines frequently
accumulate water under high pressure. When active tunnels breach these
water-filled shafts, sudden flooding occurs, overwhelming miners with
little or no chance of escape due to the depth of the shafts and the
ensuing confusion. Survival in such cases is minimal, as visibility and
mobility underground are severely restricted.
- Mechanical failures. Accidents also result from
equipment malfunctions, particularly the snapping of steel cables used to
lower or raise buckets of ore. Buckets carrying heavy loads may fall back
into the pit, crushing miners, while cable failures during descent
frequently cause severe injuries or fatalities.
The
recovery of victims varies depending on the cause of the accident. Where
flooding is involved, bodies can often be retrieved after pumping out water. In
contrast, collapses that bury victims make recovery exceedingly difficult without
the use of excavators, which require significant financial resources. In such
circumstances, families often resort to conducting funeral rites at the site
without retrieving the body.
Despite
the high incidence of accidents, artisanal mining persists as an economic
necessity. Temporary halts in mining following fatalities are typically
symbolic gestures of respect rather than reconsiderations of the risks
involved. Mining, in many cases, has served as a pathway out of poverty. For
instance, women have been reported to earn as much as ₦130,000 within two days,
while daring young men occasionally secure windfalls amounting to millions of
naira. Consequently, a common refrain among Plateau residents underscores the
indispensability of mining: “What would have become of us if there were no
minerals in Plateau State
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