■ Plateau women vow: ‘Only death can separate us from mining’
From GYANG BERE, Jos
Inhabitants of Waduruk community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, had over the years, savoured the gains of their indulgence in illegal mining activities, extracting from underneath the soil, solid minerals they regard as a blessing from God.
They smile to the banks in droves thanking God for the “Manna from Heaven,” until a recent incident at a mining site put a spanner in their works. While in the act some weeks ago, a pit dug to extract tin underneath, collapsed on three youths of same family who were given a mass buried after their bodies were pulled out same day. Some others escaped death by the whiskers.
Barely three weeks after, they are back to the site like bees attracted to honey; a deserted mining camp, which hosted over 3000 illegal miners before the incident occurred, despite a crackdown by security agencies following a directive by the state government.
Dozens are said to have lost their lives at various mining camps across the state before the recent incident, but the locals involved in the act are not willing to let go. The total number of deaths recorded could not be ascertained at press time, but Solomon Olasupo, state Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said about 150 illegal miners were arrested and charged to court in the past three months, while 7,230 were arrested in 2016.
Ngo Elizabeth Pam, a widow and mother of three, narrowly escaped death when she returned to the deadly mining pit to excavate the minerals abandoned by friends of the deceased youths. She survived being consumed along with four other women:
“I had to return there secretly, because I had soil with Tin worth N100,000 inside one of the pits. Despite the fear that the pit might collapse on me, I entered and evacuated the soil but when I saw a crack on the wall, I quickly exited.
“It is a difficult task, but I have to endure it because this is what I have been doing for survival since I lost my husband. I train my children in school through mining. One of them is a graduate of the University of Jos another is currently in Plateau State Polytechnic. I cannot stop it at the moment for fear of death, particularly here that there is high possibility of making good fortunes.”
Elizabeth, who hails from Haipang in Barkin-Ladi, headquarters of Barkin-Ladi Local Government, was married to Pam, who hailed from Kwang, Jos South Local Government. She has been engaged in illegal mining since 1978, shortly after her education at Government Teachers College, Vandeikya, Benue State. She said has transversed various mining camps within and outside the state, especially when mining boomed in the state.
Cecelia Chuwang, mother of Peter Davou, a survivor of the recent incident at Waduruk community, is one of Elizabeth’s soul mates. She would rather die than give up mining despite the risk involved. She has been into illegal mining for the past 37 years, alongside other members of her family:
“For anybody to tell me to stop mining at the moment, it means the person does not want me alive. Despite the risk involved in our mining activities, I will not stop it because that is what has sustained my home.
“My son was involved in the tragedy that occurred two weeks ago. The mining pit collapsed on them in my presence, but he was lucky to be rescued alive, while three persons died. Five of them were inside the pit digging the soil in search of solid mineral when the earth layer above caved in, and they were trapped. Two of them survived but three of them who were my neighbours died before rescue came their way.”