The Federal government has said it will revoke the licence of a mining company after the death of three persons at a site that collapsed recently in Niger State.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed this at the weekend through a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori.
The mining pit collapsed in Adunu community of Niger State.
Giving an update on the incident, Alake said the owners of licenced land units mined illegally and would lose their titles.
The minister noted that preliminary investigations indicate that the collapsed mine is in an area under Exploration Licence 43113, granted to Jurassic Mines Limited in Adunu Village, Paikoro Local Government Area, Niger State.
He said the miners were not authorised to conduct mining activities but rather only given an exploration licence, which permits an applicant to confirm the site’s suitability for proposed mineral exploration.
Addressing the ministry’s response, Alake confirmed receiving news of the accident around 4:45 pm on Thursday, where three people died in a gold mining tunnel collapse at the site. He further stated that inquiries revealed the miners were operating illegally.
His statement read: “The ministry promptly mobilised its mine officers, who arrived at the site around 6:15 pm. Officials were informed that three men were killed in the accident and have since been buried.”
“At the time of the visit, work had stopped at the site, and only onlookers were seen. The coordinates of the site were taken, and officials returned to Minna at about 8:30 pm. The owners of the company were contacted by phone, but they claimed ignorance of happenings on the site. They were then summoned to the office in the state capital.”
Reports sad on June 4, one person died after 30 miners were trapped at a site in Niger State.
