UTELNOVA

Some Nigerians have resumed illegal mining activities in parts of Niger State after 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

TheCable reports that miners, comprising underage persons, adults and women, were seen mining gold in the M.I. Wushishi area.

The NSCDC said on Thursday that the 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna.

Suberu Aniviye, suspended NSCDC commandant in Niger state, had said “Scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.

Following the NSCDC raid and the death of suspected illegal miners in custody, some miners stayed away from the pits, but many others have since returned to the sites. 

TheCable visited the M.I. Wushishi mining site on Saturday and found no security personnel at the location.

The miners were seen using shovels, picks and other hand tools to dig into the exposed earth.

Some scooped loose soil into sacks and pans, while others used the flowing stream to separate the excavated material.

Freshly dug earth and muddy soil were piled across different parts of the site.

Speaking with TheCable, Salisu DanMallam, a miner in the area, said he was not present when the arrests were made on Monday.

Dan Mallam said he stayed away from the mining site on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the NSCDC operation.

“I wasn’t here when the incident happened on Monday and they made the arrest,” he said.

“I did not come out again since they made the arrest. I was not here on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the way the civil defence raided and that was why I did not come out.”

He said the decision to stay away from the site was affecting his livelihood because mining was his main source of income.

“If you don’t come out for a day or two you will feel it because there are no profitable jobs,” he said.

Dan Mallam said miners in the area had developed close ties over the years.

“We just treat each other like family here,” he said.

Dan Mallam said miners in the area do not usually excavate deep into the ground because of the risk of landslides.

“Even if we dig, we don’t dig beyond our knee level. We don’t dig much because of landslide,” he said.

He said he had worked as a miner in the area for more than 15 years.

“I have been mining for over 15 years,” he said.