- Endangers Thousands Of Lives, Environment
- Flouts Mining Regulations, Devastates Farmlands
- Entrenches Conflict, Violence Over Compensation In Once Peaceful Host Communities
At least residents of 18 rural communities and Otukpo, the traditional headquarters of Idoma land in Benue State are in serious danger as a result of mining operation which has severely contaminated rivers from coal mine sites being exploited by Dangote Coal Mines Ltd, a subsidiary of Dangote Group.
This investigation by National Record’s THEOPHILUS ADEDOKUN reveals how deadly contaminants like Lead, Arsenic, Mercury and Cadmium flushed from Dangote Coal Mine sites into rivers that are key waters sources for these communities in Benue South Senatorial district. Experts say these poisonous chemicals are time bomb for epidemics of deadly/terminal plagues like cancer and kidney diseases.
This report also documents how the company flouts global environmental practices and mining regulations while unravelling how the company, in connivance with the Benue State Ministry of Land, disingenuously adopted provisions of Ghana Mining Act to defraud indigenous farming communities in the host communities.
DEATH flashes before the face of Gabriel Ocheke in March last year. His life almost left his body if not for the intervention of a quick medical rescue that saved the situation. It was a poignant experience that has since left a sore in his heart, remained fresh in his memory and an indelible mark on his stomach. That traumatic incident still haunts and gives him Goosebumps every time he recalls.
The forty-year-old native of Aokete, Ekenobi in Eke ward, Okpokwu LGA of Benue State, like other members of his community, had relied on River Okpokwu which flows through his village for sustenance, to quench his thirst and for domestic usage all his life until it became contaminated in 2020.
Despite the turbidity and taste of the river, Gabriel did not give up drinking from it because of the dearth of portable boreholes in his community. He persistently took the contaminated water until he began to feel a series of upsets, headaches, sickness and discomforts all over his body.
This aggravated into a rush of dizziness as if life was leaving his body and the world wobbled before he eventually landed in the theatre and underwent major surgery. Although it was financially intensive, it was needed for him to live.
“My stomach began to swell up and I felt pains all over my body and a serious headache,” he said to National Record, stressing it took the gruelling effort of the medical practitioners to resuscitate him. They ascribed the cause of his ailment to the use of contaminated water. Research states abdominal bloating and pains are linked to the consumption of toxic and heavy metals which include lead, mercury and arsenic.
The nearby River Okpokwu is formed by two key rivers, Umabe and Ohimini, which are contaminated with runoff from Dangote Coal Mines whose trickles of opulence are mined with quantities of dangerous chemicals.
Ocheke and his community still drink from the river which almost took his life a few months ago. His obstinacy is not a result of lack of awareness of the danger inherent in the intake but there is no alternative source of water.
Coal mining activities by major companies such as Dangote Coal Mines, a subsidiary of Dangote Group persistently threaten the environment in Benue State, pollute freshwater bodies and engage in illegal activities that lead to the death of hundreds of natives and endangered thousands of lives. Yet, regulatory agencies like the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Mines Cadastral Office, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Benue State Ministry of Mineral Resources are shying away from acting.
Aside water-related household chores, Gabriel’s family utilize it for cooking and bathing. “We discovered that this water is harmful to the body if you want to boil yam put that water and when it is boiled, it will become yellowish or black sometimes however, we don’t have options that is why we are taking it,” he expressed his disdain on government neglect of the ravaging pollution by Dangote Coal Mines, and deficient of basic amenities.
For families that can afford sachet water (Pure Water), a few have been compelled into using it at home and this is straining and draining their financial resources. That is not all, water-pollution plagues rashes are in many homes because they use it to bathe. This is against Section 123 of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA) 2007, which forbids the contamination of freshwater bodies and waterways, and it also breaches Section 111, which states that environmental pollution must be prevented.
From coal mine discharge, Prof. Tanimola Akande, the erstwhile National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria and lecturer at the University of Ilorin told National Record,humans and aquatic life can be at grave risk. Noting that the discharge and toxic metals can lead to dysfunction of the nervous system, neurological damage, cancer and the destruction of the body organs, Prof Akande cautioned persons residing within the proximity of contaminated water to avoid using such water sources for drinking.
Studies correlate that pollutants, contaminants, and chemicals that escape from coal mines can lead to severe skin diseases and cancer. A range of critical health problems like skin and bladder cancers, neurological illness, an increase in tumours, kidney problems, hypertension, liver cirrhosis and skin irritation are said to be linked to some hazardous chemicals that are being discharged into the environment during coal exploration, washing, and other processes in mining areas. However, other non-coal-mining-related pollutants can upsurge the danger of chronic and acute disorders when problems are experienced after prolonged exposure.
Another resident of Ekenobi, Abba Augustine said, “We are all farmers here yet we are all suffering because of this water and we all rely on this water. We have no other source of water either.”
National Record noted that residents of Ekenobi remain reliant on polluted water throughout the season of the year as they bear the brunt and agonies that accompany the pollution. “We are helpless but we cannot do anything. We have cases of typhoid, malaria and respiratory diseases every time,” said Ejembi Enokela, a medical clinical student at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and native of Ekenobi, attributing his soaring mortality rate and illness to the polluted water.
Apart from Ekenobi village, National Record found that Otukpo and seventeen other villages downstream of the Dangote mining sites are embattled and endangered by the pollution that has been consistently on for over four years and has since then fuelled water crises and medical emergencies for many households.
These communities depend on waters from River Okollo and River Umabe, both heavily contaminated by runoff from the mining sites. While Okollo runs into Umabe, the latter joined with River Ohimini, which is also contaminated, to form River Okpokwu at Ochobo in Ohimini LGA of the state.
River Okpokwu runs through many other communities down to Otobi Town in Otukpo LGA. It is at Otobi that the Benue State Water Works is located and from where the city of Otukpo is served.
While coal is extracted in the villages of Effeche-Akpali and Abache, other communities that are impacted include Ondo, Umabe-Ehaje (Aokpe), Ai’Okekwu (Ugbokolo Ward), Ijege, Oduda, Ogwudoja, Otobi, Opidlo, Ogene, and Ogbodo (Amejo Ward).
Others are Ogblega, Aokpasu, Omukwu, Jericho and Aokete (Ekenobi) (Eke Ward), as well as Ochobo community, according to a document obtained by National Record.
BIG REVELATION: Deadly Chemicals Linked To Coal Mines
THE BY-PRODUCTS of coal seams, topsoil and remnants of coal from the mine sites are often drained first into River Okollo, and then to River Umabe and River Ohimini. These rivers all take their sources from the hills of Effa in Ugbokolo ward. These dangerous chemicals seep into the ground and ultimately are washed when rains fall into surface water, all perpetually dumped in the two rivers.
These chemicals, known as heavy metals, are dangerous to human health and related to the recurrent coal exploration of Dangote Coal Mines. This flows through Okollo, Umabe and Ohimini rivers and on to River Okpokwu and further downstream up to Benue State Water Works, Otobi-Akpa in Otukpo LGA.
National Record took water samples from four different locations and from three different rivers: River Okollo in Effeche Village; River Umabe in Effeche-Akpali; River Umabe in Ogene Amejo Village and River Okpokwu in Ochobo Village.
These points are distances from one another. River Okollo is closest to the mining sites, and flows in to River Umabe, whose source is also very close to the mining sites. Umabe meandered downstream through several contiguous villages in Ugbokolo, Amejo and Eke wards, which combined with other communities to form Edumoga District. Rivers Umabe and Ohimini joined to form a bigger River Okpokwu in Ochobo Village.
National Record submitted the samples of the murky water to Tswan Laboratories Limited, Abuja, a certified scientific laboratory by the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN), on September 24 to analyse five major chemical substances related to coal mining. The chemicals analysed in the samples are mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic and selenium.
A result of the water assessment received by National Record on October 2, 2024 revealed that four out of five heavy metals are substantially present in the samples. Findings show that the examined samples from these rivers which residents of at least 18 communities drink from and use in various domestic chores have elevated levels of toxic heavy metals and other pollutants.
In plain language, the analyses of samples show that the levels of heavy metals detected in the water from the rivers exceed WHO limits as well as the Nigerian Industrial Standard allowable level.
The Nigerian Industrial Standard (2007) for water quality, is a policy set to ensure the protection of consumers. It aims to speed up upgrading of non-protected water systems and improve the management of all drinking water systems in the country.
The analysis revealed that River Okollo (Effeche point), River Umabe (Effeche-Alkapli point), River Umabe (Ogene Village point), and River Okpokwu (Ochobo Village point) have high Mercury concentrations.
As compared to the maximum levels allowed by the Nigerian Industrial Standard (977:2017) of 0.001 milligrams per liter (mg/L), the results showed that Mercury had 0.0339 (mg/L) in River Okollo (Effeche point), 0.0269 (mg/L) in River Umabe (Effeche-Alkapli point), 0.0889 (mg/L) in River Umabe (Ogene village point), and 0.0304 (mg/L) in River Okpokwu (Ochobo point).
Exposure to Mercury in large quantities can be lethal and have negative effects on the central and peripheral neurological systems, the lungs, the kidneys, the immunological system, and the nervous system according to the World Health Organisation. It stressed that if swallowed, the inorganic salts of mercury may cause renal poisoning and are corrosive to the skin, eyes, and digestive system.
“People living around such water sources should avoid the use of such water sources for drinking. Government needs to take appropriate steps to prevent the contamination of water sources and also provide potable water for such communities,” said Professor Tanimola, told National Record. Tanimola stressed the need for regulatory authorities to halt mining activities leading to pollution and sanction the company involved.
Examination of the samples (water) that were obtained revealed the rivers contain a considerable amount of Cadmium. Cadmium in the water is much higher than the maximum allowed level of NIS, which is 0.003 (mg/L), according to lab analyses.
The analyses state that a concentration of 2.0801 mg/L was found in River Okollo (Effeche point) and 1.8309 mg/L was detected in River Umabe (Effeche-Alkapli point). 1.6708 mg/L River Umabe detected in (Ogene Village point) and River Okpokwu (Ochobo point) contains 1.9082 (mg/L), respectively.
Chronic ingestion of Cadmium through contaminated water is linked to increased risk of cancer based on the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) findings and this is peculiar to lung and prostate cancer. It pointed out that its exposure could contribute to kidney damage over accumulated time.
A former Secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), FCT chapter, Dr Michael Olarewaju clarified to National Record that nephrotoxicity (kidney damage), bone deterioration and destruction, lung disorders, heart problems, and hypertension are all closely related to Cadmium exposure, supporting research from the IARC.
Analyses in a comparable suite revealed levels of Lead in the water are higher than the NIS threshold of 0.01. Findings showed that 0.5840 mg/L was detected in River Okollo (Effeche point) and 0.5466 mg/L in River Umabe (Effeche-Alkapli point). River Umabe (Ogene village Point) and River Okpokwu each have 0.4727 mg/L and 0.6199 mg/L of lead.
River Okpokwu has the highest amount of Lead, 0.6199 microgrammes per decilitre, which is nine times more than the WHO’s recommended level of 5 microgrammes per decilitre.
A global think tank on health, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) attributed millions of neurological impairments and deaths worldwide to Lead. It elaborated on how it is a serious environmental health concern, especially in low–income and developing nations where lead contamination of the food, water, and air persists.
To avert future illnesses and greater restrictions on industrial pollution, Professor Akin Osibogun, a specialist in public health suggested an improved oversight of mining operations, and the phase-out of Lead in consumer products are required.
There is more to these. Analysis revealed that two of the four samples (of the water) showed the presence of Arsenic. The maximum limit for Arsenic is 0.01 mg/L.
Investigation showed that the concentrations of Arsenic in the River Okollo (Effeche point) and River Umabe (Ogene point) is at 0.0094 mg/L and 0.0075 mg/L which are remarkably low. Studies attribute this to numerous environmental and geochemical factors due to inconsistencies in the amount of Arsenic in connected rivers.
Beyond factors like the potential of hydrogen, temperature, and seasonal changes which can impact Arsenic levels across connected streams, human interaction and activities like water extraction, irrigation, and chemical usage, can disrupt these natural balances, influencing Arsenic distribution across interconnected waters.
Conversely, River Okpokwu (Ochobo Village) measured 0.0131 mg/L, while River Umabe (Effeche-Alkapli point) recorded 0.0112 mg/L which exceed the maximum allowed limit of 0.01 pegged by NIS. This excessive exposure to Arsenic is connected to memory loss, childhood developmental delays, diabetes, skin lesions, reproductive issues, and cancers of the kidney, lung, bladder, and skin, according to a study by the Global Burden of Disease Research 2021.
It further explained that Arsenic disrupts the endocrine system which is indispensable for regulating body functions like metabolism and growth.
Groups of heavy metal concentrations such as Cadmium, Lead and Iron in surface water in the communities were reported insignificant or below the detected limit before the commencement of the mining operation, according to the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) obtained by National Record. It disclosed that the concentration is lower than the permissible level in drinking water based on the Standard of National Environmental (Surface and Ground Water Quality) Regulations and WHO (2008).
Though the ESIA projected the pollution of surface and groundwater due to acid mine drainage (AMD) resulting in high concentrations of some chemicals such as Arsenic and Sulfuric Acid, findings by National Record showed the unflinching response of Dangote Coal Mines Limited on pollution which contravene the National Environmental (sanitation and Waste Control) Regulation 2009 anddefined the requirement for water protection and surface water impoundment. The regulation listed some contaminants in the water sample as hazardous chemical products and dangerous waste constituents.
The rivers which have served 18 rural communities and Otukpo for centuries are being poisoned by contaminated like Arsenic, Mercury, Lead, and Cadmium which are in high doses. This is triggered by the commencement of Dangote coal exploration. The indigenous communities bearing the brunt of Dangote’s lackadaisical attitude includes Ondo, Umabe-Ehaje (Aokpe), Ai’Okekwu (Ugbokolo Ward), Ijege, Oduda, Ogwudoja, Otobi, Opidlo, Ogene, and Ogbodo (Amejo Ward).
Others are Ogblega, Aokpasu, Omukwu, Jericho and Aokete (Ekenobi) (Eke Ward), as well as Ochobo community, according to a document obtained by National Record.
Sadly, many of these communities do not know that the rivers that serve as their source of drinking water have been heavily laced with harmful substances that make residents who depend on them to walking corpses.
Studies by the Nigerian Health Journal, suggested thorough environmental monitoring to stem the tide of the growing burden of chronic kidney diseases.
Experts noted that policymakers in developing nations should target interventions to enhance water security and reduce health risks. Reinnet Awoh, a public health physician for the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCP) told National Record that the polluter like Dangote Coal Mines Ltd, should be held accountable and a long-term purification measure put in place. “In the long run, investing in water treatment facilities that are designed to remove heavy metals from the water will be necessary. These could serve the affected communities and ensure a reliable supply of clean, safe water.”
Deaths and diseases
THOUGH life goes on with the same certainty it does anywhere, it is worse and dismal in Ogblega village.
Troubles and tribulations are in every corner of the community. The stories and agonies of diseases, depression, deaths and dropouts linked to the polluted water are pervasive.
Not only are most people discontented but they are also disconnected from the reality of a comfortable life other than their insect-infested environment and farmland. Ogblega is cut off from all necessities, including portable boreholes, accessible roads, schools and healthcare facilities.
Seated on a blue plastic chair and hoarded by flies waiting to perch on his body, Oko Hyacinth, the National Chairman of Ogblega in Ekeh ward, told National Record that many of the children in the community are down with different illnesses, which medical health workers in a faraway neighbouring village linked to water.
“The river is polluted but we still use it to cook and it affects us. Sometimes when we take the children to the hospital, they will say bad water and the doctors will ask about the kind of water our children use.
“Some of them are taking treatment up till now because of the water,” he said as his face, sunken, and voice, laden with sadness.
Hyacinth explained that the turbid water seen by National Record at the time of the visit was drunk by the villagers.
Multiple interviews by the National Record showed that the negligence of government interventions is complicated by Dangote’s pollution. This is contrary to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Act (2007) which is meant to enforce compliance with policies, standards, legislation and guidelines on water quality, environmental health and sanitation, including pollution reduction. The regulation emphasised NESREA’s cooperative efforts to protect the country’s air, land, seas, and other water bodies from pollution and other forms of environmental degradation, as well as to restore and improve the environment and natural resources of the country.
Beyond health crises, the polluted water has caused a series of deaths in the community. The dependence of many villagers on traditional and herbal medication also deteriorates their challenges.
Interviews showed that deaths from water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, serious malaria and other unidentified ailments are prevalent in the community.
Sunday Iko and Janet Obela are among casualties of illnesses linked to water pollution. Findings by this reporter indicated that Sunday died in 2021 and Janet in 2022. Both passed away in their mid-fifties.
“Sunday died from diarrhoea. There was no healthcare facility to attend to him and there was no borehole as well,” said Mike Agida, a native and lecturer at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, stating that the dearth of government support has forced the villagers to drink the water continuously. He pointed out that nothing changes in this circumstance all year long.
Experts explained that multiple heavy metals like cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury in drinking water have additive or synergistic toxic effects, stressing that this can worsen the risks for organ damage, cancer or neurological issues.
Dr Michael Olarewaju, told National Record that direct exposure to coal dust and toxic substances influence these health trends in Ogblega. He pointed to the crises in the village as a broader environmental and economic impact of coal mining while proposing that a combination of environmental control measures, improved access to healthcare, public awareness, and community-led action can lead to a significant reduction in the health risks for populations impacted by coal mining.
Dangote’s environmental disaster goes beyond mere pollution, it complicates the health and living conditions of communities. Every person who uses water in tandem with mining operations needs to ensure that the water does not include detrimental contaminants in amounts that might be harmful to plant or animal life, according to Section 124 of the NMMA. Still, the case is different as this becomes pervasive.
Even though water-borne diseases are preventable, it is a major threat to health worldwide, according to a study which notes that the absence of financial resources, leadership, and suitable prioritisation hinders billions of people from accessing clean water globally. But then, National Record findings are different as the struggle for water is a bigger challenge for all communities that depend on the rivers that have been polluted by Dangote Coal Mines Ltd.
All the communities visited are facing the brunt of the water crisis with residents in obvious dilemma and chaos as they desperately strive to get access to potable water. Water-borne diseases across these communities are pronounced, this reporter noted from conversations with villagers from the mining sites and downstream along the river channels up to Ochobo.
At Ochobo, distress from water contamination hangs like a heavy blanket, although here, there a couple of boreholes drilled by some well-to-do individuals, but majority depend on the polluted River Okpokwu. As a result, the community is also marked by health issues due to the inescapable regular use of murky water from River Okpokwu.
Two teenagers, Abu Monday and Steven Francis whom this reporter saw during the visit to the banks of River Okpokwu; noted the struggle of ordinary residents of Ochobo. In a corner were two kegs filled with the dirty water for use at home. They did not bother, despite their awareness of the pollution and its implications for their health.
Although Monday said his family now drinks sachet water, the however depend on the water from the river for other uses. “The day I drank this water, I had an unsettled stomach and pain. I cried tirelessly because the pain was unbearable and I’ll not drink it again,” he said in a note of finality.
Happiness Ben is another resident of Ochobo who said he is filled with anger due to the dermatological effects of contaminants from the River Okpokwu. She is also worried about the health implications of the water in her internal organs. “Since I came back, I have been using the water to cook and bathe. The next thing I started having rashes, and if it can bring rashes on my skin, I don’t know what the internal effects will be.”
Studies indicate that the usual price for mining activities is very high due to unavoidable contamination of freshwater bodies by heavy metals. Such contaminated waters are naturally dangerous for consumption and indeed unusable for cooking and other uses.
However, in situations where polluted water cannot be evaded, long-term health monitoring and rehabilitation are mandatory to avert health disasters. Reinnet Awoh, explained to National Record on the need for the provision of clean and safe water while. He also stressed the importance of awareness campaign around the communities on the risks of using the polluted water.
“People who have been exposed to heavy metals will need long-term health monitoring. Regular check-ups can help catch any ongoing health issues early, like kidney disease, neurological damage, or developmental delays in children. This is especially important since the effects of heavy metal exposure can show up months or even years later.
“For those who have already experienced health problems due to exposure, rehabilitation might be necessary. This could involve therapies to improve cognitive or motor function if they’ve experienced brain or nerve damage from mercury or lead poisoning,” he added.
Waterpreneurs everywhere, no safe water
BECAUSE of the large number of communities suffering from the pollution, the demand for safe water has increased as the reality of the dangers associated with drinking from the poisoned rivers gradually dawns on residents. This has led to surge in waterpreneurs, a new business in water supply which has now become a new economic life in the different villages.
Aokpasu in Eke ward and Ogene in Amejo ward are two communities where water supply business now flourishes with increasing patronage. National Record, however, gathered that this practice is not a guarantee for quality or clean water while most waterpreneurs sourced their water from either River Umabe or River Okpokwu.
Although the pollution caused by Dangote mining activities triggered a wave of protest three years ago. The company planned to drill boreholes to mitigate this problem.
Aokpasu and Ogene are two of the four communities set to benefit from boreholes drilled by Dangote Group in the first quarter of 2021 following a wave of protests against the pollution, the boreholes have however been abandoned and remained uncompleted
The management of Dangote Coal Mines, according to information gathered by this reporter, rather than complete the first phase of the boreholes and proceed to the other communities, chose the option of bribing political and community leaders in the local government, traditional chiefs, and youth leaders who initially championed the protest against the mining pollution by putting them on a monthly payroll.
Recalling with tears welling in his eyes the incidents which brought false hope, the chairman of Aokpasu, Daniel Eyah, says: “Dangote came to drill a borehole but it couldn’t get water after two days. They, however, filled the dug hole with water from the river to deceive us and since then the borehole has been abandoned. We are forced to either buy from tankers who fetch from the same river a few kilometres away or drink the polluted river. The same water they bring is red and it is fetched from Okpokwu.”
He expressed his disdain on the irresponsibility and carelessness of Dangote company. Explaining that many families spend thousands of naira monthly to get unclean from tankers, he also says: “It is every individual and some people will buy N5,000 while a jerry can be sold at N100.”
The clean water source available to the residents of Aokpasu is located between six and seven kilometres away, and they were forced to drink from the tainted river. In addition, large tanks and reservoirs are installed in every house to preserve rainwater channelled from zinc roofs.
This reporter gathered that many people were forced to relocate from Aokpasu due to pollution issue and have moved to areas with access to clean water. “The cost of sachet water is high and we spend a minimum of N700 on a bag. Most people are leaving,” lamented Martha Odeh, a female resident.
Like Aokpasu, Ogene Community is also severely affected by the pollution and the residents, who are able to afford it, also depend on pure water or bottled water, while the majority continue to drink the poison from River Umabe.
Speaking on the upsurge of cholera and typhoid cases in the community, a septuagenarian widow, Mrs Christiana Etuka, lamented to National Record that polluted supplies from tankers are what they get in return for their money.
“We used to use this Umabe water to cook, drink and bathe and it was very pure. But things have changed since Dangote started mining. We know the water is no longer good. I often have stomach pain after drinking it. There are many situations where people drink from the river and they find themselves in the hospital.
“Anytime there is rainfall, we minimise our water usage till another rainfall. During the dry season, it is when we have no option than to continue to drink from the river. Whenever our children and grandchildren come home from the cities, they no longer drink Umabe water but pure water or bottled water,” the window lamented, decrying that the water is perpetually brownish with tiny particles even if there were no rainfalls.
Many residents of the affected communities are of the view that Dangote Group is deliberately poisoning them as the company, in acknowledging that River Umabe has been polluted and not healthy for drinking, had in 2022 drilled four boreholes which it later abandoned.
National Record findings indicate that Dangote’s coal mining exploration is in breach of Nigerian Mining and Minerals Act (NMMA) (2007). Section 125, subsections a and b, state that communities affected by pollution and damages as a result of mining activity shall be compensated.
The chairman of Ogene-Amejo community, Mr Ameh Benedict, explained that the devastation and health crises caused by Dangote mining activities has been immensurable, adding that the abandoned borehole by Dangote has become a curse rather than blessing because it is not benefitting the community. “We don’t have any borehole water in the community. We have been using this water and we have no complain because our forefathers drank from it but the commencement of the mining operation has destroyed everything.”
He however, called on the federal and state governments to provide drinkable water for the community to mitigate water-related crisis.
Mr Nuhu Elujah, the General Manager, Special Duties of Dangote Coal Mines Ltd however told National Record on two occasions when he was called earlier in the year after complaints from the community were made, that the company was planning to return to site.
According to him, Dangote’s contract with the company that drilled the four boreholes had been terminated, and promised that a new firm with better credentials had been picked by Dangote headquarters and awaiting mobilisation to return to the communities to activate the boreholes.
Continued in Part 2
This investigation is supported by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) with funding support from the MacArthur Foundation.
RELATED REPORTS:
INVESTIGATION: How Dangote Companies Violate Mining Laws, Polluting, Endangering Lives and Environment in Benue Communities – Part 1
INVESTIGATION: How Dangote Companies Violate Mining Laws, Polluting, Endangering Lives and Environment in Benue Communities – Part 2
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