The Nasarawa State Government has banned children below the age of 18 from participating in mining activities across the 13 local government areas of the state.
The government also established a special monitoring and enforcement team to tackle illegal mining and child labour-related activities in mining communities.
The Commissioner for Environment, Solid Minerals and Mining, Margaret Elayo, announced the ban at a press conference on Friday in Lafia, the state capital.
Elayo said the measure became necessary following the recent reported deaths of several suspected illegal miners in Minna, Niger State.
She said the state government would no longer fold its arms and allow young residents and other individuals to engage in illegal mining activities that expose lives to danger and contribute to environmental degradation.
The commissioner explained that the special monitoring team had been empowered to visit mining communities and sites across the state and arrest persons or entities
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