By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Federal Government has ordered the immediate shut down of all operations at Solid Unity Nigeria Limited mining site in Kampani Zurak Community of Wase Local Council of Plateau state.
The decision to close the mining site was sequel to suspected leakage of carbon monoxide at the site on Wednesday February 18, 2026 that resulted in the death of over 35 miners , with about 20 others injured.
This is as the Plateau state authorities decried the growing number of widows and fatherless children in the state, owing to unsafe mining activities in the state
The Federal Government also ordered a forensic investigation with a view to unraveling the actual circumstances surrounding the unfortunate Wase mining site deaths .
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake who gave the order during an on-the-spot assessment visit to the mining site, blamed the conspicuous absence of industry safeguards for the tragic incident .
According to Alake, the incident occurred primarily due to lack of safety and precautionary measures at the mining site.
He also expressed serious concern over the absence of technical representatives of the mining outfit during the visit.
The Minister who insisted that it is the duty of licensed holders and operators to provide safety oversight regretted that preliminary findings suggested a possible non-compliance with known industry safety rules and regulations .
He, therefore, affirmed the Federal Government’s readiness to conduct a full-scale investigation to determine the exact cause(s) of the tragic incident ,as well as measures to forestall a future occurrence..
” It is highly tragic to lose more than 30 able -bodied persons . We are here on a fact-finding mission .We condole with the families of those who lost their loved ones”Alake stated .
On his part ,the Plateau state Commissioner for Environment ,Climate Change and Mineral Development, Peter Gwom, while acknowledging the fact that mining activities are exclusively within the purview of the Federal Government, called for stricter and honest implementation of all extant rules and regulations governing the industry , including the Mining Act of 2007.
Gwom lamented the high number of widows and fatherless children in many mining communities in the State.
He informed that the Plateau State Government, in a move to curtail the growing cases of deaths associated with mining activities, has commenced moves to organize miners into cooperatives, providing training, safety gear and micro-loans to minimize industry hazards and fatalities.
“We have too many widows and fatherless children due to unsafe mining practices. This must stop”, the Commissioner lamented.
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