RismadarVoice Reporters
September 18, 2026
The Nasarawa State Government has initiated a sweeping crackdown on unlicensed mining operators and registered companies illegally employing minors at extraction sites across the state.
The action follows reports of a mass casualty incident in neighbouring Niger State, where 37 suspected illegal miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Addressing journalists in Lafia, the Commissioner for Environment, Mining and Natural Resources, Margaret Elayo, revealed that video evidence showed widespread child exploitation at mining locations within the Wamba Local Government Area.
“Illegal mining is completely unacceptable, regardless of who is behind it,” Elayo said. “We are taking decisive action. Investors are either here to support Nasarawa State’s growth legally, or we will hold them fully accountable for violating our laws.”
The state’s regulatory push highlights key systemic issues within the local extractive industry:
Many firms operate on preliminary exploration permits rather than full commercial mining licenses, unlawfully extracting minerals without environmental safeguards.
Operators routinely deploy underage workers to dangerous sites without basic protective equipment or safety training, bypassing adult labour pools to cut costs.
Unregulated sites leave host communities with severe land degradation, safety hazards, and abandoned pits.
Elayo reiterated Governor Abdullahi Sule’s directive that Nasarawa’s vast mineral wealth must not be exploited to the detriment of local populations. She noted that the state has already shut down several non-compliant mining sites and ordered the immediate release of underage labourers back to their families.
The government called on community leaders and residents to report unauthorised mining within their domains, warning that failing to disclose such operations would be treated as tacit complicity.
