BY : Afeez Rabiu
Recent reports say 156 people have died in mining-related incidents as authorities uncover 374 illegal mining sites across 17 states. FactCheckAfrica traced the reported deaths and found that the figure combines different kinds of incidents including mining accidents, toxic-gas exposure, shootings and deaths in government custody while 24 deaths in the published breakdown could not be individually accounted for.
A report published by Vanguard in September 2026 has drawn attention to the scale of illegal mining in Nigeria, reporting that 156 people have died in mining-related incidents amid the discovery of 374 illegal mining sites across 17 states. The report presents the figures as part of a broader picture of the dangers surrounding unauthorised mining, including abandoned pits, unsafe working conditions, insecurity, environmental degradation and child labour.
On September 3, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake said the Mining Marshals had identified 374 illegal mining sites between March 2024 and August 2026, cleared 108 of them, arrested 743 suspects and prosecuted 165 cases involving 430 accused persons, with five convictions secured.
FactCheckAfrica reviewed the published incident breakdown and supporting reports that 156 people have died in mining-related incidents in Nigeria, as presented in the context of the discovery of 374 illegal mining sites across 17 states.
The figure was reported in Vanguard’s September 27 investigation, which brought together state-level information on mining activity, enforcement operations, environmental concerns and deaths.
Some deaths occurred after mining-pit collapses. Others followed toxic-gas exposure. Some were linked to shootings or attacks in areas associated with mining. And 37 of the people included in the wider reporting died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after being arrested during operations against suspected illegal miners in Niger State. The circumstances surrounding those 37 deaths remain under investigation.
FactCheckAfrica’s review found that the 156 figure is a reported aggregate, but the published evidence does not establish that all 156 deaths were caused directly by illegal mining. The incident-level figures published alongside the national total account for 132 deaths, leaving 24 deaths unitemised in the published breakdown.
The discrepancy is due to the fact that the available report does not provide enough incident-level information to independently reconstruct all 156 deaths from the details it publishes.
The figures above describe the incidents as reported. They should not be read as proof that all 132 deaths were directly caused by illegal mining.
What Happened in the case of the 37 Suspected Illegal Miners Who Died in NSCDC Custody in Niger State
The largest single component that was looked at is the 37 deaths in Niger State. The victims were suspected illegal miners who had been arrested during enforcement operations and detained by the NSCDC in Minna.
Reuters reported that survivors said detainees were packed into an overcrowded cell and that an unidentified substance was sprayed into the room before people began experiencing breathing difficulties and collapsing. Reuters said it could not independently verify those accounts or determine what substance, if any, had been sprayed.The cause of death has not been established.
The Nigerian government has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. President Bola Tinubu directed that the inquiry examine the arrests, the condition of the detainees, the detention environment, the number of people held there, the medical attention provided and the events leading to the deaths. The government has also constituted a 10-member investigative panel.
This means the 37 deaths can legitimately be described as deaths involving suspected illegal miners who died in custody following mining-related arrests. They cannot, on the evidence currently available, be described simply as 37 people killed by illegal mining. That distinction is particularly important in assessing the wider 156 figure.
FactCheck Africa has previously examined the Niger incident in detail, finding that the cause of the deaths remained unresolved pending investigation. The current report therefore does not treat those deaths as a settled case of mining-related fatalities.
Plateau accounts for 90 deaths, but not all occurred in mining accidents
The second major component is Plateau State, where the published report attributes 90 deaths to a succession of incidents. The state has experienced repeated mining-related accidents, particularly in areas where artisanal and unauthorised mining takes place.
Among the incidents listed are a November 2024 mining-site collapse that reportedly killed 13 people and another collapse in Dura, Jos South, in September 2025 that killed four. But the same 90-death total also includes incidents that were not straightforward mining accidents.
In December 2025, 12 people were reportedly killed in an attack at Ratoso Fan in Barkin Ladi. Seven others were killed in a shooting at Kuru, Jos South, in January 2026.
The Plateau total also includes the February 2026 deaths at Kampanin Zurak in Wase Local Government Area, where at least 37 people died following toxic-gas exposure at a mining site. That incident was separately reported internationally.
Other deaths listed in the state breakdown include five people killed at Gero Village in June, three at Nyango-Gyere later that month, seven in a mining-pit collapse in Kassa in August and two killed in another incident in Gangare in September. Together, those incidents produce the reported 90 deaths.
It is not a count exclusively of people who died because a mining pit collapsed or because of unsafe mining practices. It includes deaths from attacks and shootings occurring in locations and circumstances connected with mining.
Taraba provides a correct figured as framed by the report
The five deaths reported in Taraba are more directly connected to a mining accident.
On September 18, 2026, five suspected illegal miners died after a mining pit collapsed in Mayokam, Bali Local Government Area. Local authorities confirmed that bodies were recovered from the collapsed pit, while search efforts were initially continuing to establish whether others were trapped. The incident occurred shortly after a state task force had dispersed miners from the area and seized mining equipment.
Unlike the Niger custody deaths, the Taraba case involved a direct mining-pit collapse. It therefore provides a clearer example of the kind of fatality readers might reasonably associate with unsafe mining as the report framed.
But even here, the victims were described as suspected illegal miners, rather than people whose legal status had been established by a court.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development said the Mining Marshals identified 374 illegal mining sites between March 2024 and August 2026.
According to the ministry, 108 sites had been cleared, 743 suspects arrested, 165 cases prosecuted, involving 430 accused persons, and five convictions secured. The figures have also been reported by Voice of Nigeria.
Government’s Enforcement Figures
Verification
FactCheckAfrica traced the number down to the incident level. We first examined the report in which the 156 deaths were published and extracted the state-level figures and individual incidents provided. We then compared those figures with official government statements and independent reports concerning the incidents in Niger, Plateau and Taraba.
For the enforcement figures, FactCheckAfrica checked the minister’s original statement published by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. The ministry’s figures confirm the 374-site, 108-cleared, 743-arrest, 165-case, 430-accused and five-conviction figures.
For Niger, we examined reporting from Reuters alongside the Nigerian presidency’s account of the investigation. Reuters independently reported the 37 deaths and the unresolved cause, while the State House confirmed that the government had ordered a full investigation.
For Plateau, we reviewed the incident-level breakdown published in the original report and checked individual incidents, including the Kampanin Zurak toxic-gas deaths.
For Taraba, we checked reporting on the Mayokam pit collapse, including confirmation attributed to the state police.
The evidence examined by FactCheckAfrica does not support such a broad conclusion. The published breakdown contains different circumstances. Some victims died in mining collapses. Others died after toxic-gas exposure. Some were killed in attacks or shootings associated with locations where mining was taking place. The 37 deaths in Niger occurred after arrests during an illegal-mining enforcement operation, while the cause of death remains unresolved.
And although the published report gives a national total of 156, the incident-level figures it provides account for only 132.
The remaining 24 deaths in the published breakdown were not identified individually. FactCheckAfrica therefore cannot independently reconstruct the full 156 from the material currently available.
Conclusion
The claim that 156 people have died in mining-related incidents in Nigeria is based on a figure published by Vanguard and supported by a collection of reported incidents. However, presenting the number without explaining what it contains can give a misleading impression.
FactCheckAfrica’s review found that the published incident-level figures account for 132 of the reported 156 deaths, leaving 24 deaths unitemised in the available breakdown. The 132 deaths that can be traced also do not all share the same cause: the figure includes mining accidents, toxic-gas exposure, attacks and shootings, as well as 37 people who died in NSCDC custody after arrests linked to suspected illegal mining, whose cause of death remains under investigation.
The separate claim that authorities identified 374 illegal mining sites between March 2024 and August 2026 is supported by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. The ministry also reported 108 sites cleared, 743 arrests, 165 prosecutions involving 430 accused persons and five convictions.
