ABUJA — The Senate has called for urgent intervention to address escalating safety risks and environmental hazards arising from unsafe coal mining activities in Ankpa and other coal-bearing communities in Kogi State.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Isah Jibrin (APC Kogi East) during Wednesday’s plenary, triggered by the July 14, 2026 landslide which claimed 20 lives in Alufele, Enjema District, Ankpa.
Presenting the motion, Senator Jibrin noted that coal mining remains a key economic activity in Ankpa Local Government, particularly in Enjema, Okaba and Ikah communities, as well as in Omala and Olamaboro LGAs within the Ankpa Coal Block of the Anambra Basin.
Geological Instability and Unsafe Practices
He said coal deposits in the area are overlain by lateritic materials, loose sandstone, mudstone, clay and shale that are naturally unstable and susceptible to subsidence and landslides under heavy mechanical loading.
The lawmaker expressed sadness over the ground failure and landslide that occurred on or about July 14, 2026, in Alufele, Enjema District, which trapped artisanal miners underground while several trucks sank into mining pits during loading operations, leading to the deaths of 20 workers with several others injured.
“The unsafe mining methods presently adopted by many artisanal operators, particularly the widespread use of room-and-pillar mining without adequate structural reinforcement, have substantially increased risks of roof collapse, cave-ins and fatal accidents,” Jibrin stated.
Workers Left Vulnerable
He also expressed concern that heavy-duty loading points located adjacent to unstable mining pits further aggravate geological instability and expose miners and communities to avoidable dangers.
The lawmaker noted that many miners operate under informal arrangements without contracts, social security, health insurance or occupational hazard insurance, leaving victims and families without financial protection whenever accidents occur.
“Victims of mining accidents, including families of deceased miners, are frequently left without adequate compensation, rehabilitation or alternative livelihood despite the enormous economic value derived from the nation’s mineral resources,” he added.
Senate Resolutions
The Senate therefore urged the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, through its Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Department, to undertake an audit of licensed miners to facilitate monitoring and regulation.
It also urged the Federal Government to establish a statutory Mining Workers’ Compensation Scheme, funded through mandatory contributions by licensed operators, to cover occupational injuries, disabilities, diseases and death.
The upper chamber called on the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), in collaboration with the Solid Minerals Ministry, to develop compulsory occupational accident insurance for all categories of miners, including artisanal operators under cooperatives.
It further urged the government to establish a Mine Rehabilitation and Victims Support Fund for emergency medical treatment, rehabilitation, compensation, educational support for children of deceased miners, and livelihood assistance to affected families.
The Senate mandated its Committees on Solid Minerals Development, Environment, Labour, Employment and Productivity, and Health to jointly interface with relevant MDAs and report back within six weeks.
