Former Ekiti State governor and minister, Kayode Fayemi, has said the mining location in Plateau State where 37 miners recently died had previously been shut down during his tenure as minister of solid minerals development.
Fayemi, who served as minister of solid minerals of Nigeria from 2015 to 2018 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, explained that the site was closed in 2017 after federal authorities intervened over reported irregularities.
The latest tragedy occurred in Zurak, Wase LGA, where miners were exposed to carbon monoxide in an underground shaft. More than 25 others were hospitalised following the incident, prompting the Federal Government to order the site’s closure.
In a statement shared on X, Fayemi said he visited the mine in 2017 alongside then National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, following complaints from members of the host community.
“As minister of mines, I visited the site with the NSA and the governor following numerous complaints from the community. We embargoed mining activities there, arrested the illegal Chinese operators, and declared the purported owner wanted. It could have been avoided if the action taken in 2017 had been sustained,” Fayemi wrote.
He noted that the suspect was later apprehended by security agencies but released after he left office, adding that preliminary discussions with ministry officials and Idris Wase, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, indicated that the recent deaths occurred at the same location.
Fayemi extended condolences to the families of the victims and urged authorities to enforce mining and environmental regulations strictly, stressing that operations must not compromise the safety of host communities.
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