As bandits slaughtered many miners in Nigeria yesterday, the governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, ordered a clampdown on the activities of illegal miners in parts of the state.
Bandits killed an unspecified number of artisanal miners yesterday at a mining site in Anguwan Mai-Giro, near Bassa in Shiroro LGA of Niger State, according to reports.
Residents told journalists that the bandits in their numbers invaded the mining site in the afternoon on Wednesday, when the site was busy with mining activities and shooting at the miners.
Sources claim that the majority of the fatalities were internally displaced people from the Kuta IDP camp who, faced with hardship, went to the mining site to earn money for food.
They estimated that bandits from Allawa and other communities had displaced the victims, who were living at the IDP camp in Kuta, between the ages of 14 and 35.
Currently, we are uncertain about the death or injury toll, as numerous individuals remain unseen. We don’t have all the details until everyone who has visited the mining site returns.
The individuals who lost their lives were internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kuta Camp who sought financial assistance to purchase food. However, these killers still follow them to the mining site. We are calling on the government to take action against these people,” he said.
Commissioner for Homeland Security, Brigadier General Bello Abdullahi Mohammed (RTD), said he was yet to get the report of the attack.
Gov. Otu formed a joint taskforce in response to the heinous activities of illegal miners, many of whom are reportedly armed and allegedly responsible for the wave of criminality in parts of the state. This taskforce discovered illicit miners in the state, confiscated their equipment, and arrested a number of them.
The collaborative effort, comprising representatives from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the State Government, had conducted a comprehensive monitoring operation across various mining sites.
Under the leadership of the Federal Mines Officer overseeing the state, the state commissioner of mineral resources, and security personnel, the team discovered illegal activities by certain miners.
We discovered that these individuals were exploiting and degrading mineral reserves in several communities.
Mr. Effiom Ekaha, the Cross River State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, revealed that, after receiving intelligence reports, the Governor had ordered a crackdown on illegal mining within the state in collaboration with federal authorities.
The task force, led by Engineer Mayowa Omosebi, the Federal Mines Officer for Cross River State, Dr. Otu Archibong, Chairman of the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO), and Mr. Effiom Ekaha, the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, promptly took action. Recent enforcement operations resulted in the arrest of suspects engaged in unauthorized mining activities, as well as the confiscation of equipment from illicit mining sites.
During the operation, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Moses Osogi, and the State Security Adviser, Major General Okoi Obono (Rtd.), emphasized the objective of addressing environmental degradation, economic repercussions, and security threats posed by illegal mining activities and their perpetrators.
The state government affirmed its unwavering commitment to curbing illegal mining to prevent further harm to the ecosystem and surrounding areas.
Engineer Mayowa Omosebi, the Federal Mines Officer for Cross River, and Dr. Otu Archibong, the Cross River State Chairman of MIREMCO, asserted that the collaborative task force would bolster efforts to combat the escalating incidence of illegal mining in the state. They emphasized the potential environmental sabotage and long-term consequences of unchecked mining activities on local ecosystems and communities.
Furthermore, the task force inspected a vandalized artisanal mineral processing plant, part of the federal government’s economic sustainable plan post-COVID-19 intervention project, established two years ago in Okuku, Yala LGA.
Mr. Effiom Ekaha expressed dismay at the facility’s damage, pointing out that if it were operational, it could empower numerous youths.
He underscored the plant’s purpose in encouraging local miners to return to designated sites and discouraging mineral imports. He emphasized Governor Bassey Otu’s administration’s intolerance towards illegal mining operations and called for the government to profile all mining entities in the state for security purposes. The administration emphasized efforts to enhance the economic value within the mining sector.
The task force’s key highlights included visits to an illegal quarry site in Njua Bano, Boki LGA; the federal government’s artisanal facility in Okuku Yala LGA; and an unauthorized sand dredging site in Mfom 2, Yala local government area, operated by individuals from other states without government knowledge.
