ABUJA — The Senate has urged the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, to conduct a nationwide audit of licensed miners and their areas of operation to strengthen oversight and improve regulation of mining activities.

The upper chamber also called for the establishment of a statutory Mining Workers’ Compensation Scheme, funded through mandatory contributions by licensed mining operators, to compensate workers for occupational injuries, permanent disabilities, work-related diseases and deaths resulting from mining activities.

The resolutions followed the consideration of a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Address the Escalating Safety Risks, Environmental Hazards and Humanitarian Concerns Arising from Unsafe Coal Mining Activities in Ankpa and Other Coal-Bearing Communities in Kogi State,” sponsored by Senator Isah Jibrin (APC, Kogi East) under matters of urgent national importance.

The Senate further urged the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, to develop compulsory occupational accident insurance covering all categories of miners, including artisanal and small-scale miners operating under recognised cooperatives or community mining arrangements.

Lawmakers also called for the establishment of a Mine Rehabilitation and Victims Support Fund to provide emergency medical treatment, rehabilitation and compensation for injured miners, educational support for children of deceased workers and livelihood assistance for affected families.

The Senate mandated its Committees on Solid Minerals Development; Environment; Labour, Employment and Productivity; and Health to engage relevant ministries, departments and agencies on implementing the resolutions and report back within six weeks.

The chamber also observed a minute’s silence in honour of victims of the July 14, 2026 landslide at Alufele in Enjema District, Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, which claimed the lives of 20 miners.

Presenting the motion, Senator Jibrin said coal mining remains a major economic activity in Ankpa and surrounding coal-bearing communities, including Enjema, Okaba, Ikah, and parts of Omala and Olamaboro local government areas within the Ankpa Coal Block of the Anambra Basin.

He explained that the area’s coal deposits are overlain by lateritic materials, loose sandstone, mudstone, clay, shale and unconsolidated sediments, making the terrain highly susceptible to subsidence, landslides and ground failure, particularly under heavy mechanical pressure.

Jibrin said the July 14 mine collapse exposed the hazardous conditions under which artisanal and small-scale miners operate, noting that the incident trapped workers underground while several trucks reportedly sank into mining pits during loading operations, leaving 20 people dead and several others injured.

He blamed unsafe mining practices, particularly the use of room-and-pillar mining methods without adequate structural reinforcement, for increasing the risk of mine collapses and fatal accidents.

The senator also raised concerns about the siting of heavy-duty loading points near unstable mining pits, saying the practice has heightened geological risks for miners, transport operators and nearby communities.

He noted that many artisanal miners work without employment contracts, social security, health insurance, life insurance or occupational hazard coverage, leaving victims and their families without financial protection when accidents occur.

According to him, families of deceased miners and workers who suffer permanent disabilities are often denied adequate compensation, rehabilitation and alternative means of livelihood despite the economic value generated from mineral extraction.

The Senate warned that repeated mine collapses, landslides and related accidents pose serious threats to lives, the environment, economic activities and public safety.

It stressed the need for urgent legislative and executive action to introduce mandatory insurance coverage and enforceable compensation mechanisms for artisanal and small-scale miners, noting that leading mining jurisdictions already operate compulsory workers’ compensation and occupational health protection schemes.

Lawmakers warned that without immediate intervention, unsafe mining practices and unstable geological conditions in the Ankpa Coal Block could lead to more mining disasters, environmental degradation and the loss of valuable mining assets.