Local miners go for gold in Kaduna’s Birnin Gwari

Chief among the treasures sought after is gold, and so in spite of risks, they carry on. The most prominent feature about mining is its laborious nature, because nearly everything is done manually and with primitive implements. But the local miners seem unaware of their hard labour since they make contented earnings from their work.
Daily Trust Saturday visited two mining sites at Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State and observed that the miners make brisk business from their activities, while they have regular customers and dealers. The mining sites are Rima and Bugai, 12 km and 16km from Birnin Gwari town, respectively.
The major distinction between the two mine sites is that Rima is clay/sandy and easy collapses, while Bugai is stony and seldom collapses. And so, while the gold particles are found inside the sand at Rima, they are mostly embedded within stones at Bugai and the stones are normally crushed in order to extract the gold. Any stone that contains gold has an identifiable mark on it, but to fully confirm, the miners lick at them.
Generally, the mine sites are acquired from farm owners whenever the miners find prospects of gold underneath. Sometimes, the farm land is completely bought from the owner, while other times the farmer is paid according to the utilization of the land. In the case of the latter agreement, N2,000 is paid for every narrow hole dug, while a big expanded hole usually referred to as ‘parlour’ costs N5,000. Most of the farmers have agents who serve as intermediaries between them and the miners. The intermediaries negotiate on behalf of the farmers and monitor the miners to ensure that they keep to the terms of the agreement. The miners have a strong union.
Food sellers come from neighbouring villages to do business and so are other petty traders. Rice and beans, Tuwon Shinkafa, groundnuts, bread, water, oranges, sweets, chewing gum, cigarettes, among others, are sold there. The miners eat their food both on the land as well as deep down in the mines and tunnels where they work. Sometimes, they sleep in the tunnels and also drink the water that comes from the ground. Most of them carry small transistor radios as their companions whenever they are working, in addition to their food and headlamps, which are flashlights attached to a helmet.
A miner at Rima Forest, Musa Ibrahim, told Daily Trust Saturday that there are times when they won’t have the money to pay the farm land owner and will have to liaise or come to agreement with the farmer’s agent to pay for the land used. That is, after they had made sales they settle whatever they owe from the proceeds. He said other times, the agents pay the farmer from their pockets on their behalf and they would settle him thereafter. He added: “We cooperate here and we don’t quarrel among ourselves. Nobody takes over another person’s position or tunnel. Three people are the maximum to dig and work on a tunnel, except where larger family’s members are involved. But we have a boundary underground and we meet at a common place like a junction which connects several tunnels.”
On the challenges and the fear of contacting any kind of disease or contamination he said: “There hasn’t been any health issue encountered by any of us as a result of our mining. The only thing is that we sometimes catch colds and get feverish because it is always cold under there. But whenever we drink local herbs we will become strong again, that’s all. And on the issue of contamination, like the incident of lead poisoning in Zamfara State sometime back for instance, I want to say that nothing like that has ever happened here. I came from the mines of Zamfara State to work here and I can tell you what happened: It is because of the method they employ there, where the gold is within rocks and when taken for grinding that is when poisoning occurs. The dust that comes out whenever the stones are being ground can be poisonous. But here, we are careful and we don’t experience such.”
When asked on the other dangers associated with the mining, another miner, Abubakar Haruna, said every job in the world has its risks. He added that the risks associated with local mining are often blown out of proportion. “The most danger is that sometimes we experience mine collapse. Whenever that happens, we mobilize everyone on the site and then quickly begin to dig in order to rescue the person. If somebody’s time has not reached, that person will be rescued alive. But if his time has come then he won’t be rescued alive.”
Haruna said mine collapses are not frequent. “The main reason for the collapse is due to the rains and also the water coming from the ground; it usually makes the place to become soft and then eventually collapse.  We have lost two people since this year, however. Due to this we are now changing tactics. Rather than digging narrow holes, many people now come together and dig a very big hole which we refer to as ‘parlour’. There is no fear of collapse with that one as everyone will be working in an open, broad hole and your mind will be at rest rather than in a narrow tunnel.”
With respect to their feeding in the forest, Yahuza Magaji, also a miner, said they don’t have problems as food sellers from villages up to five kilometers bring food for them to buy, while others bring food all the way from Birnin Gwari town for them. He added that the food, including meat and fish, are not expensive, noting that some of the food sellers package them in clean polythene bags and take-away packs. He said they usually drink the underground water and also wash their hands with it before and after meal. But he said they created a gate in order to separate drinking water from that which they use for other purposes.
Magaji described their nights as always peaceful and explained that they time themselves in a way that whenever one is sleeping the other will be awake. He said sometimes they work till 4:00 am and other times till daybreak.
One of the agents representing some of the farmers, Ibrahim Yellow Zamfara, said the dealers usually come to buy the gold from them in the forest and it is usually sold after it has being weighed to determine the grams. He said the miners pay him according to the number of tunnels and that it doesn’t matter whether they find gold or not.
Zamfara said: “Miners come to me and we go in search of land to prospect for gold and after random digging of three or four tunnels, if we find anything encouraging, I would look for the owner of the farmland and strike a deal with him on behalf of the miners. The farmer always happily agrees and will then leave the land in my custody.  All they want is for me to collect their money for them. I will then assign the land to the miners and collect money according to the number of tunnels and utilization. Again, I mediate between the miners and the buyers/dealers and I receive their money for them. We weigh the gold on a scale and then payment is made according to its weight. 1g is sold at N6,000, 2g is N12,000, 3g is N18,000 and so on.”
Zamfara said the major distinction between the gold found in Birnin Gwari and that found in Niger, Kebbi or his own state is that the one in Birnin Gwari is often in a sandy form while that of the other places are often chunkier. But he said after the Birnin Gwari type is fully processed using fire and certain chemicals, it becomes beautifully solid as well.
The Secretary of the Miners Association of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, Iliyasu Mohammed, said they have several ways of looking out for gold. “All the gold found in Birnin Gwari is in small particles, whether they are found in the sand or within rocks. Once it is found in the sand it is washed out from the sand, but when it is discovered in a stone then we have to break the stones and further grind them to get the gold out. Someone working in a sandy land usually take sand samples to look out for the gold, while those working in areas made up of stones collect the stones for sample. Another way we look out for gold in a stone is that we lick it with our tongue and if there is gold inside we will know from the taste and also from a sign which will show on the stone.”
There could be other resources in the ground – or even in some of the stones they are abandoning – but the miners don’t really bother to look out for any other mineral, as their major concern for now is gold.
The Vice Chairman of the Miners Association, Nasiru Umar, said mining activities began in the local government from 1992, adding that it has helped to take youths away from crime, by providing employment. “I was part of the pioneers. I have been to jail thrice since then because initially we were seen as illegal miners and they would bring police to arrest us. Other times, they said we are stealing the natural resources and that we were capable of conniving with thieves to rob people of their belongings. Each time they arrest me they will ask me why won’t I stop mining and I will tell them that it keeps me engaged, it provides means of livelihood for me and my family and it makes me stay away from crime.”
He added: “Finally, our late king gave a directive that we should be left alone since what we are doing is taking youths off crime. The king then advised us to be faithful to our work and prayed that God should bless our labour.”
Umar also told Daily Trust Saturday that many of the miners are doing well. “Our people take care of their parents, wives and children and pay rent and children’s school fees from mining. Some of our boys have motorcycles and other basic necessities. On a very good month each person makes up to N50,000 while others make up to N20,000 or more. But there are months we work at a loss and then wait until we make a good profit in order to pay off the loss, as well make gain. This is a job we all truly enjoy doing and it’s honourable.”
Efforts to get the response of the Director-General of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), Usman G. Saulawa, on the mining activities in Birnin Gwari was not successful.