Monday, February 16 2026 -Three persons have been confirmed d3ad following a mining pit collapse at Enyim Agalegu Community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The incident was said to have occurred on Saturday, February
14, 2026 at a pit under the mining lease of First Patriots Limited, formerly
known as Royal Salt, where illegal mining activities were allegedly ongoing.
The National Chairman of Enyim Agalegu Edukwu Opeke
Federated Union, Oboke Chukwuma Collins, who visited the scene on Sunday said
he received a distress call at about 4 p.m. on Saturday informing him that the
pit had caved in on miners
"Well, it was yesterday afternoon, around four, that I
got a call that the site where people are engaged in illegal mining here had
collapsed, and I rushed to this place,” he said
Collins explained that upon arrival, he mobilised community
members to the scene, where they removed the overburden covering the victims
“We evacuated some overburden on top of some lifeless
persons, about three of them, and we rescued about four who were injured,” he
said.
Mr Collins noted that the community had previously written
to the company and the state Ministry of Solid Minerals, requesting that the
pit be released to the community for controlled mining after the company
allegedly completed work at the main pit.
He described the activity at the site as illegal,
noting that all efforts to secure approval from the company had been rebuffed.
“We engaged them in writing, even the Commissioner for Solid
Minerals, but they said no. So we, the leadership of the community, backed off
from the agitation,” he added.
Collins, who lamented the loss of lives at the site, said
the recent d3aths bring the total number of persons who have lost their lives
there to five.
The State Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Hon. Chidi Onyia,
while speaking to journalists at the scene of the incident, attributed the
recurring accidents in mining communities to illegal mining activities driven
by greed and the quest for quick money.
He stressed that the government was not aware that the site
had been abandoned but acknowledged that the ministry had received letters from
community leaders last year requesting that the company release part of the
site to locals for mining.
Onyia, however, noted that the ministry made it clear that
it lacked the authority to grant such approval, as the land is under a private
mining lease.
He added that officials, including himself and the member
representing Ikwo North Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly,
Ifeanyi Nwakpu, had visited the site several times to address the matter. He
described the incident as unfortunate and extended condolences to the families
of the deceased.
“It is never our interest or intention to lose any of our
people who are under our care. This site belongs to First Patriots. Both the
state and federal governments are not aware that this site has been abandoned.
The site is still very active,” he stated.
“The company vehemently said no and gave their reasons. They
said that the pit is already dangerous and not the kind of place you allow
artisans to work,” he added.
The Commissioner also frowned at the fact that some youths
often sneaked into the site to mine against the company’s wishes, describing
the development as careless.
He, however, cautioned those sponsoring illegal mining
operations to avoid exposing young unemployed miners to such risks while they
stay away from the dangers themselves.
“It is high time we prioritise lives above monetary value,”
he said.
For his part, the lawmaker representing Ikwo North
Constituency, Ifeanyi Nwakpu, said he was informed of the collapse on Saturday
night by the community leader and immediately contacted the relevant
authorities.
Nwakpu confirmed that the three deceased persons had been
recovered and deposited in a mortuary, while the four injured victims were
receiving treatment in hospital.
“As of now, what I am aware of is three dead persons and
four others injured,” he said.
He added that it was not yet clear whether the victims were
staff of the company or artisanal miners.
The lawmaker revealed that he had previously advised the
company to either close the pit if it was no longer in use or properly secure
it to prevent further casualties.
He also confirmed that he endorsed a letter from the
community requesting the release of the site to enable locals remove the
overburden and mine it in a controlled manner.
The lawmaker said efforts were ongoing to determine the full
circumstances surrounding the collapse and whether more persons might still be
trapped.
The Chief Security Officer of First Patriots Limited, Eze
Stephen, said security agents had repeatedly tried to stop people from engaging
in illegal mining at the site but had been strongly resisted by some villagers.
“There was a time the company wanted to cover it, but the
youths mobilised and came here to stop it. They threatened to cause trouble if
the company tried to cover it.
“Many times we have tried to stop them from mining
illegally, but they have refused. They come both at night and during the day.
When they are there, you cannot use force because it is dangerous and you do
not want them to fall into the water while running and lose their
lives."
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