By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has condemned the reported deaths of 37 young miners arrested over alleged illegal mining activities in Niger State, describing the incident as a stark reminder of the human and environmental consequences of Nigeria’s extractive economy.
The victims, reportedly aged between 14 and 20 years, were said to have died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following enforcement operations at suspected illegal mining sites in the Wushishi-Lukoto area of Niger State.
In a statement, HOMEF said that although the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation, the tragedy raises serious concerns about the conditions that drive young people into hazardous mining activities and the broader impacts of resource extraction on communities and the environment.
The environmental advocacy organisation stressed that the incident should not be viewed solely as a case of illegal mining or security enforcement, but as part of a wider crisis linked to what it described as destructive extractivism.
HOMEF Executive Director, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, said Nigeria must rethink development strategies that prioritize resource extraction without adequately considering the social and environmental costs borne by communities.
According to him, whether it involves oil, gold or critical minerals, an economic model that undermines ecosystems and livelihoods cannot provide a sustainable future for the country.
Bassey warned that Nigeria must avoid repeating the experience of the Niger Delta by replacing oil dependence with large-scale mineral extraction that leaves communities facing pollution, displacement, damaged farmlands and loss of traditional means of livelihood.
He noted that the deaths also highlight the urgent need to address poverty, unemployment and economic exclusion, which often push young people into dangerous and informal mining activities in search of survival.
The HOMEF Executive Director further argued that efforts to curb illegal mining should not simply result in the expansion of industrial-scale extraction, but should instead focus on building an economy that protects both people and the environment.
The organisation called on authorities to ensure that no individual taken into custody during mining enforcement operations loses his or her life due to neglect, unsafe detention conditions or other preventable circumstances.
HOMEF urged the Federal Government and the Niger State Government to launch an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths, establish accountability where negligence or wrongdoing is found, and strengthen environmental monitoring and restoration efforts in mining-affected communities.
The group also advocated greater participation of host communities in decisions relating to mineral extraction, protection of ecologically sensitive areas, and increased investment in sustainable livelihood opportunities, insisting that Nigeria cannot effectively address illegal mining without confronting what it described as the deeper crisis of extractivism.
