BOKKOS, Nigeria – Four artisanal miners have been confirmed dead after a commercial tin mining pit collapsed on them in the Baban Rafi community of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, local community leaders confirmed on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The fatal accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, September 22, 2026, while the laborers were excavating solid mineral deposits several meters underground without protective structural reinforcements or safety equipment.
Okay News reports that the Bokkos Youth Leader, Daniel Tula, disclosed in an interview that the deceased comprised two men and two women who were actively extracting tin ore when the earth gave way without warning.
According to Tula, the four victims were buried beneath heavy sand and rocky debris before co-workers and local volunteers could clear the mound, noting that their remains were later recovered from the site and laid to rest by their respective relatives in accordance with community customs.
Tula described the incident as the first mining pit collapse of its kind to be recorded within the Baban Rafi locality, expressing grave concern over the precarious conditions under which young people and women engage in unregulated artisanal mining across the council area.
He noted that while community representatives are still examining the structural causes of the collapse, initial inquiries established that the miners were working deep inside an unsupported pit face when the unstable upper soil layer collapsed on top of them.
Reacting to the incident, the Plateau State Police Command stated that it had not received an official situational report or distress call regarding the fatalities from community leaders or operators in the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, SP Alfred Alabo, explained that artisanal miners and local site coordinators frequently avoid notifying law enforcement authorities when fatal accidents occur at mining locations, creating substantial hurdles for investigators attempting to establish facts and ascertain criminal negligence.
Alabo added that the command has directed the Divisional Police Officer in Bokkos to conduct an inquiry into the matter, promising to make further findings public once an official operational briefing is transmitted to headquarters.
Efforts by correspondents to reach the Executive Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Council proved unsuccessful, as telephone calls placed to his line went unanswered on Wednesday.
The fatalities bring renewed scrutiny to the hazards associated with artisanal and small-scale mining in Plateau State, coming amid persistent calls from federal regulators for informal miners to form registered cooperatives and adhere to statutory safety standards enforced by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
