Unregulated mining is threatening popular Plateau tourist destinations like Shere Hills in Jos North, raising environmental degradation and safety concerns for visitors and tour guides.
Jos — August 10, 2026
Mining activity is increasingly threatening some of Plateau State's most popular tourist destinations, including the Shere Hills in Jos North Local Government Area, long a favorite hiking and sightseeing spot for students, tourists, and local residents.
Tour guide Danjuma Izang, who leads weekend groups up the hills, says the site's condition has visibly changed as mining operations expand in and around the area, raising concerns about environmental degradation and the safety of visitors navigating terrain increasingly altered by excavation activity.
The situation reflects a broader tension in Plateau State between its historical identity as a tourism and mineral-rich state mining remains a major economic activity, and the need to preserve the natural landmarks that once made it Nigeria's "Home of Peace and Tourism." No government response addressing regulation of mining near tourist sites had been announced as of this report.
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