The Udege Mbeki community in Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, is in mourning after two young siblings, Ibrahim Muhammad (age 9) and Umar Muhammad (age 7), drowned in an abandoned excavation site run by the Chinese company Kenyang Mining Company Limited.
Due to recent severe rains, the area—known as a paddock—became flooded, posing a fatal hazard to gullible youngsters.
The incident happened on Thursday when the boys accompanied their cousin, who had gone to the location to wash clothes, according to a statement released by Barrister Dauda Yahaya Kana, Chairman of Afo Youth Mobility (AYM).
Kana expressed her profound sadness over the occurrence and blamed the Kenyang Mining Company for the children’s deaths, pointing out that the company’s carelessness was a direct cause of the hazardous circumstances that resulted from years of excavation in the region and their failure to reclaim the 50-meter setback.
“As a result, Afo Youth Mobility (officially registered as Afo Youth Mentorship Initiative) alongside nine others took the company to the Nasarawa State High Court to seek legal interpretation of the Community Development Agreement (CDA) signed on September 26, 2021, between the Udege community and the mining firm.” Kana explained.
According to him, the court in Keffi, which was presided over by Hon. Justice Rose G. Soji, issued an interim order on November 19, 2024, prohibiting the firm from engaging in any more mining operations or harassing the local population until the issue was settled.
Subsequently, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement, resulting in a consent judgment granted on March 4, 2025. The judgment included legally binding terms, such as:
Submission of a detailed reclamation plan for the 50-meter setback within one year of further excavation.
The reclamation work will commence immediately upon regulatory approval.
Cessation of excavation in Millionaire’s Quarters within four years.
Construction of a concrete fence to separate mining zones from residential areas, with a 40-meter buffer.
Repair of the Udege Mbeki–Gada Hudu road and provision of essential amenities—including boreholes, electricity, hospital, school, and police post—at the community’s relocation site.
“Sadly, the joy that accompanied the judgment has now turned to grief,” Kana said. “This tragic loss shows the urgent need for the company to begin immediate reclamation of the abandoned paddocks before more lives are lost.”
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He said that if the business keeps failing to fulfil its responsibilities, Afo Youth Mobility would not think twice about going back to court to implement the provisions of the consent judgement.
Kana emphasised that mining corporations must be held responsible for the safety and well-being of host communities and urged the Nasarawa State Government to step up regulatory monitoring and guarantee complete adherence to the Mining Act.
In Udege Mbeki, an Afo-speaking village, the departed children have subsequently been buried in line with Islamic customs.
