About 20 lives have been cut short following a landslide at a coal mining site in Kogi State as the Senate on Wednesday called for stricter safety regulations in Nigeria’s mining sector.
Punch Newspaper reports that the resolution followed a motion sponsored by the senator representing Kogi East, Isah Jibrin, during plenary.
He noted that coal mining remained an important economic activity in Enjema, Okaba and Ikah communities in Ankpa LGA, as well as parts of Omala and Olamaboro LGAs, which make up the Ankpa coal block in the Anambra Basin.
According to him, the geological composition of the area makes it highly susceptible to subsidence, landslides and ground failure, particularly under heavy mechanical loading.
He said, “On or about 14th July, 2026, a significant ground failure and landslide occurred in Alufele in Enjema District within the Ankpa coal mining area, trapping artisanal and small-scale miners underground while several trucks reportedly sank into mining pits during loading operations, leading to the death of 20 workers, and injuries to several others, thereby exposing the extremely hazardous conditions under which mining activities are presently conducted,” he said.
The lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the mining disaster.
Leading the debate, Jibrin said unsafe coal mining activities in Ankpa Local Government Area and other coal-bearing communities in Kogi had become a major safety, environmental and humanitarian concern.
