Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an independent investigation into the reported deaths of 37 young miners in Niger State, warning that the incident highlights the human and environmental consequences of Nigeria’s reliance on mineral extraction.
The environmental advocacy organisation said the deaths, involving young people reportedly aged between 14 and 20, should trigger a broader examination of the economic conditions pushing youths into hazardous mining and the environmental costs of the country’s extractive development model.
The miners reportedly died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after security operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in the Wushishi-Lukoto area of Niger State.
Although the circumstances and causes of the deaths remain subject to investigation, HOMEF said the incident raises critical questions about the treatment of detainees, youth unemployment, livelihood insecurity and the sustainability of mining activities.
In a statement, HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said the tragedy should not be viewed exclusively as a matter of illegal mining and security enforcement, but as part of a wider crisis associated with destructive extractivism.
“We must stop treating extraction as the pathway to development while ignoring the lives, lands and ecosystems sacrificed in the process,” Bassey said.
He warned against replacing the country’s dependence on oil with mineral extraction without addressing the environmental degradation and community displacement associated with resource exploitation.
Bassey specifically cited the experience of the Niger Delta as a warning against pursuing mineral wealth at the expense of local communities and their environments.
He said Nigeria risked reproducing the problems associated with oil extraction if the expansion of mining activities was not accompanied by adequate environmental protection, community participation and safeguards for livelihoods.
“The deaths underscore the urgent need to address the poverty, livelihood insecurity and economic exclusion that push people into dangerous and informal mining, while confronting the environmental destruction associated with unregulated extraction,” he added.
The HOMEF director also cautioned that efforts to curb illegal mining should not simply pave the way for large-scale industrial operations that could create further environmental damage.
He called for a shift towards economic activities that protect ecosystems, restore damaged environments and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities.
HOMEF urged the Federal Government and the Niger State Government to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported deaths and ensure accountability for any violations, negligence or other wrongdoing uncovered.
The organisation also called for measures to address the economic vulnerabilities that expose young people to dangerous mining activities, particularly poverty, unemployment and the loss of sustainable livelihood opportunities.
It demanded stronger environmental monitoring and enforcement in mining-affected communities, alongside restoration programmes and measures to hold mining operators and polluters responsible for ecological damage.
The group further called for restrictions on destructive mining practices affecting forests, farmlands, water bodies and other ecologically sensitive areas.
It said communities whose territories are targeted for mineral extraction should have meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their land and livelihoods, including determining what happens within their territories.
HOMEF also advocated investment in sustainable, non-extractive economic activities capable of reducing dependence on hazardous mining and strengthening local economies.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the challenges of regulating informal mining while protecting vulnerable workers and communities.
Illegal mining enforcement addresses one aspect of the problem, but HOMEF argued that lasting solutions must also consider the economic circumstances that drive people, including young people, into the sector.
The organisation maintained that environmental protection, decent livelihood opportunities and accountability must form part of any strategy to manage Nigeria’s mineral resources.
It said the reported deaths should serve as a reminder that economic development cannot be measured solely by the volume or value of resources extracted, particularly when communities face risks to their lives, land, water and livelihoods.
HOMEF called for a fundamental departure from what it described as an “extract, exploit and abandon” approach, advocating instead a development pathway centred on ecological protection, environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods.
The organisation maintained that addressing illegal mining without confronting the wider consequences of extractivism would leave the underlying crisis unresolved.
