‘Youths have no work’ – Landslides claim lives of miners at illegal sites in Abuja’s remote communities

« Landslides at illegal mining sites have claimed the lives of workers attempting to earn a living in harsh conditions, in the remote communities of Kebin Mangoro, Kasada and others within the Kuje area of Abuja.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows workers excavating the slopes for mineral resources with few safety measures, and there have already been multiple fatalities reported.
“Some people, like six people, were digging stones which fell on them. Four die, we bring two out. There is one place again too, where some people, still stones fall on top of them, then die,” one local, Ishaya Danjuma, revealed.
According to media reports, at least 30 people were killed in the area last week. Danjuma added that many were forced into the work due to a shortage of jobs and economic desperation.
“Many of our people, through a lot, [come from] far away, they’re coming here, » he said. « You know, everybody is hungry, as we are now. Youths have no work to do. They’ve come here to end that they are digging,” he added.
Last month, the government warned that illegal mines were impacting on the country’s 700-million-dollar mineral industry. Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development Dr Mary Ogbe claimed that the export of cheap raw materials illegally was undermining the sustainable development of the sector. »



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