Twelve artisanal miners were killed by bandits in the Fan District of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area in Plateau State during a night mining operation. The attackers stole the miners' extracted minerals before fleeing the scene. In a separate incident in the Kuru community of Jos South, seven men aged between 19 and 30 were killed at a mining site. These attacks are part of a growing pattern of violence targeting miners in Plateau's Jos South, Jos East, Barkin-Ladi, Bokkos, Kanam, and Wase. Criminal elements, including bandits and terrorists, have increasingly targeted mining sites across North Central Nigeria, particularly in unregulated areas. In February, a carbon monoxide leak in an underground mine in Kampani Zurak, Wase Local Government Area, killed 37 miners and hospitalised 25 others. The incident prompted the Federal Government to inaugurate a high-level investigative committee. Dr Henry Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, described the gas poisoning as "painful" and a signal for stricter safety enforcement. Governor Mutfwang of Plateau State suspended all mining activities to combat illegal mining, child labour, land degradation, and rising security threats, including the influx of unregulated foreign miners. He established a Technical Committee on Mining Reform, chaired by Justice Commissioner Philemon Dafi, to oversee reforms. Nighttime mining operations, common in the region, have left miners vulnerable to attacks and accidents. Communities in Wase and surrounding areas report that such violence has become routine.
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