The village became noteworthy during a 2021 campaign by international organizations to recognize lead poisoning of children in the area, as part of artisanal gold mining.

[4] The dangers of lead poisoning due to the artisanal mining in Bagega have drawn global attention and have been subject of several environmental research publications by organizations like United Nations Environment Programme,[5] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,[6] ReliefWeb,[7] Médecins Sans Frontières,[8] and Human Rights Watch.

[9] In May 2012, Doctors Without Borders had reported that least 4,000 children were suffering from lead poisoning as a result of artisanal gold mining in Zamfara State in Nigeria.

[11][13] By January 2013, the campaign had reached some one million people, and dozens of media outlets had picked up on the story.

[14] In April, 2013, Médecins Sans Frontières announced that the environmental cleaning of the earth in Bagega village had started and they had started chelation therapy on the children, which leaches the lead from the blood[15] In May 2013, the then Nigerian Minister for Environment, Hadiza Mailafia announced that Bagega was safe for habitation after remediation.