Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has called for an executive order from the Presidency or the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to ban mining activities in locations identified as problematic across the state.
Bago made the call on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He noted that the state government needed stronger intervention from the Federal Government because of the limitations surrounding the enforcement of mining regulations.
Asked what his administration was doing about the presence of minors at mining sites, the governor said decisive action was required to stop the practice.
“I am in between the devil and the Red Sea because, as a governor, yes, it’s in my state. As a governor, I cannot just go and order the police or military to start shooting people or arresting people. As a governor, I can only make advocacy.
“But these people, because they have tasted the mining money, they cannot leave that side. We need decisive action. We need an executive order from the Presidency or from the Ministry of Mineral Resources to ban mining in certain locations where we have seen they are problematic. Once that is done, it can be enforced,” he said.
The governor said illegal mining had become a major challenge in Niger State, particularly as children were increasingly being drawn into artisanal mining at the expense of their education.
“We know that gold mining in Niger State has become habitual. The UNICEF report says by 2027 there will not be a single child in Grade 7, that is JSS1, because all of them are into artisanal mining, and all of them have left the classroom and they are not in schools. And this is a problem for us,” he said.
Bago also said the state government had not been informed of any arrests arising from the incident, while expressing concern over the limits of his authority in matters involving federal security agencies.
“I am just chief security of the state by mouth,” he said, adding, “I cannot take an oath for what I cannot control.”
He said the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police were investigating the incident, noting that the state government had limited control over detention facilities.
“We don’t have much control over detention centres,” he said.
Describing what he saw after the deaths, Bago said, “I saw a lot of corpses on the floor,” adding that some of the victims were not miners.
He also said the location where the suspected miners were arrested was not licensed for mining, explaining that it was actually a housing estate.
