Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC have arrested 17 suspects and impounded three trucks with 39 motor bikes using for illegal mining in Kogi state. National Public Relations Officer of the Corps, CSC Afolabi Babawale disclosed this in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja. He said the illegal mining syndicate operated in the Odiagbo – Okaba district of Ankpa Local Government area of Kogi State..
The NSCDC Mining Marshal squad is a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Ministry of Interior through the NSCDC with a mandate to combat illegal mining and protect Nigeria’s solid mineral assets. Babawale said the raid was as a result of complaints from local residents over environmental degradation and public health threats allegedly linked to the illegal and unregulated mining activities.
“The recent crackdown in Kogi was led by the Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah and it resulted in the arrest of 17 suspects. Three trucks were also impounded and 39 motor bikes used for the illicit business were also confiscated. The Commandant General of the NSCDC Ahmed Abubakar Audi has continued to reiterate the readiness of the NSCDC to take the battle to all the criminal elements that are feeding fat on the critical national assets of the country. The recent massive clear out of the illegal miners is also coming on the hills of the Kogi State government’s push for cleaner mining sector and the need to preserve fragile ecosystem and protect host communities”, he added.
Meanwhile Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps says it uncovered and dismantled 460 illegal mining sites and arrested 387 suspects in 14 months. The commander of the NSCDC mining marshals, Attah Onoja, said this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja. Mr Onoja said 146 persons had been charged. “The lawful mineral title holders of these recovered sites have taken possession of their sites for lawful mining activity, thereby generating revenue for the Federal Government,” he said. According to him, 25 per cent of the arrested suspects are foreigners. He also mentioned that the squad had adopted 28 ‘clearance operations’ in environments with armed bandits, areas with threats of resistance and intelligence reports about dangerous attacks based on past incidents.
“In carrying out this clearance operation, we ensure to maintain an operational standard that will give you results without necessarily having casualties, either from our own troops or the adversaries,” he said. The commander emphasised that the operations of the mining marshals were carefully planned and executed through thorough intelligence and surveillance activities. “It is the report of our intelligence and surveillance operation that determines the operational strategy to adopt, so while we identify illegal mining sites through intelligence and surveillance operation and at times through written petitions by displaced mineral title holders or license holders.
“There are some that warrant or demand clearance operation, especially illegal mining sites that are characterised by banditry or terrains that have no form of government presence. Terrains where you get to and you will not even know the country you are in because it is not close to any normal environment. Sometimes you access this terrain through motorcycles for hours and such operations do require diplomacy,” he said.
(NAN)
