Niger State authorities have arrested 33 people on suspicion of participating in illicit mining operations that endanger the environment and public safety.
The arrests were made as part of a concerted enforcement operation in the Paikoro Local Government’s Gbokuchi-Kotongba neighborhood.
The Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources led the operation, which was carried out in cooperation with the Forest Hunters Association and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
Yunusa Nahauni, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, conducted the raid, highlighting the government’s will to combat illegal mining.
According to reports, for more than a decade, the arrested individuals had been illegally mining minerals from another company’s land.
Residents of the community voiced their displeasure with the ongoing unlawful activity and its effects on nearby resources.
Nahauni chastised the village chief and elders, among other local authorities, for their passivity in the face of the continuous mining activities.
He cautioned that anybody who violated the order to stop all unapproved mining because of security concerns would be subject to legal repercussions and restated Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s instruction.
Along with reminding locals that the government is committed to sanitizing the mining industry, he also advised them to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
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We can’t afford to sit back and do nothing. “We will keep taking proactive measures to expose those hiding under the guise of mining while engaging in illegal activities,” Nahauni said, adding that the state administration has a clear vision to sanitize the mining sector.
The number of undocumented foreign miners in the region also alarmed him, and he questioned how they were able to enter the state hidden.
He demanded that the Nigeria Immigration Service look into potential points of entry and strengthen security.
In order to protect the state’s natural riches, Nahauni called on communities to work together and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating unlawful mining.
