In a continued effort to clean up the mining sector, the federal government has taken legal action against suspected illegal miners apprehended during a recent crackdown in Kogi and Ondo states.
The operation, named “Operation Hayakin Kogo,” was carried out by the Mining Marshals in the Ikah Community of Ankpa LGA, Kogi State, leading to the arrest of two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian for engaging in mining activities that violated existing regulations.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday, September 2, by Segun Tomori, the special assistant (media) to the minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake.
In a related development, the Mining Marshals also raided an illegal gold mining site in the Ogunlepa, Oluwa Forest Reserve, Odigbo LGA of Ondo State, where four suspects were arrested. These individuals, caught in the act of illegally mining gold in a Government Reserved Area, confessed during interrogation that they lacked the necessary licenses or authorisation to carry out their operations.
The suspects from both Kogi and Ondo states have since been charged to the Federal High Court, Abuja.
It will be recalled that the 2,570-strong Mining Marshals, specially trained and drawn from the ranks of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), is a brainchild of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, as part of his 7-point agenda, hinged on sanitising and reforming the mining sector.
The Minister reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to eliminating illegal mining in the country by bolstering the operations of the Mining Marshals with the infusion of technology and imminent satellite monitoring of mining sites.
He urged those still involved in illegal activities in the mining sector to turn a new leaf and comply with the relevant sections of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (NNMA) to regularise their operations, stressing that the resolve of the Federal Government to wield the big stick is unflinching.
Despite its huge natural endowments, Taraba State sits on the lowest rungs of the human development index in Nigeria. Among these endowments are rich forests and mineral resources. Our Taraba State Correspondent VICTOR GAI, looks into the perennial illegal activities of deforestation and solid minerals exploitation by local and foreign agents with far reaching consequences on the environment and economy of the state.
Boasting one of the largest landmass in the country, Taraba State is naturally gifted with arable land for farming, livestock and fisheries. It has the largest stretch of the River Benue and one of the largest collections of livestock in the country. All these might have earned it its sobriquet, ‘nature’s gift to the nation’.
But below the fertile lands and in the interspersed terrain are exotic solid mineral resources and forest trees that the state had not given much attention to until recently when foreigners began to exploit them with rapacious tendency. With the connivance of locals, foreign nationals have made huge fortunes which eventually drew the attention of the government.
Akwana, a community in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, is the hotbed of illegal mining activities. It is among several others spread across the state that are notorious for illegal mining. It is located at the Taraba/Benue border which has been a flashpoint for kidnapping, banditry and inter-communal clashes over time.
Findings made by ‘The Nation’ shows that the activities of illegal miners are responsible for the spate of kidnapping, banditry and boundary disputes that have lingered between Taraba and Benue states.
According to a local source who craved anonimity for security reasons, the menace of illegal mining thrived with the connivance of security agents, state government officials and some local lords who have the cover of authorities.
The source said: “It is the individuals in the community that decide to handle mining disregarding warnings from the chiefdom and even the mines officer. At a point, even the mines officer was involved in the racket. I can say that anytime and anywhere. He was giving them immunity.
“Illegal mining led to the influx of unknown people, leading to kidnapping, robberies and others. It got to the extent that even the DSS and some security operatives got so interested in the case because of the infiltration of illegal explosives used for mining activities.
“They claim that they as indigenes deserve to mine what they have in their community. But the question is do you have the licence to mine?
“Any time I write a report, because we do write monthly reports, within five minutes, I will start recieving calls that they know what I am doing.
“So I became a target. Hence I myself don’t go there.”
He further disclosed that despite the government ban on illegal mining, the practice still contineud because of the presence of a ‘mafia’ who control the state boundaries for their business interests.
“They themselves don’t want to stop. So it took the grace of the task force to stop them.
“The illegal mining got so bad that in the boundary issue between Taraba and Benue states, knowing full well that there is a ban in Taraba State, some locals in Akwana would tell the Tiv people living in that area to claim the place as Benue State so that Taraba authorities would not be able to come in.
“At some point, through the allocation of cadastral unit for mining, some points were mapped out of Taraba State and placed in Benue,” the source added.
The Madrid debacle
In the heyday of rosewood exploitation, popularly known as Madrid, the immediate past governor, Darius Ishaku, had to wade into the matter to restore order and decorum. Business men took advantage of the weak regulatory environment to deny the state of revenue from the product until the government intervened.
The Ministry of Environment was stripped of powers to collect revenue from the product and the state’s Internal Revenue Service took over. But by the time order was restored to the industry, millionaires were made. Young men and women left school to engage in the trade while the state lost billions from the illegal business.
In her 2018 study titled Eco-criticism: A comparative Study of Madrid Deforestation and its Effect on Secondary School Students’ Learning Performance in Jalingo and Ardo Kola Local Government Taraba State of Nigeria, Dr. Abigail Seth Karfe of the Taraba State University wrote: “Critical observation has been seen on how this benefit of natural resources (forestation) has been jeopardised because of human beings’ self desire and unnecessary quest for money.
“This is usually ignored in most states and local governments and is resulting in a lot of deforestation, reducing the learning performance of students in secondary schools and land degradation.
“Madrid deforestation in Taraba State needs to be discouraged.”
She quoted Dayo Aiyetan of the International Centre for Investigative Reporters, in his study titled: How China fuels deforestation in Nigeria, West Africa. “Smart Chinese businessmen are exploiting a lax regulatory and enforcement environment, loopholes in existing laws, lack of government policy and direction as well as official corruption by government officials to drive an illegal trade in and export of the country’s forestry resources that might have grave consequences for both the environment and the economy…forestry experts are warned that the unrestrained and uncontrolled harvesting of the special type of timber across the states will have devastating impact on the environment and contribute immensely to global warming which is currently threatening the world.
“Apart from the effect on the environment, the experts fear that the illegal activities of local and Chinese merchants will also have telling economic implications in the near future in many communities where the forests that are being violated are located.
“In many states, including Kogi, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, and Cross River, a rapacious demand by China for an ornate species of wood, rose wood (Pterocarpus erinaceus) locally known as Kosso, has since late 2013 fuelled an unprecedented frenzy of illegal logging of wood that is fast depleting the nation’s natural forestry resources.”
According to Karfe in her findings, students were “immensely involved in Madrid deforestation and this has a lot of negative influence and effect on their learning performance as shown in their results for both Mathematics and English language… and “Madrid deforestation equally promotes global warming.”
In her recommendation, she called for government intervention to curb the trend through education and enlightenment of citizens, promulgation of laws, strengthening of security and economic empowerment of the citizens.
Kefas to the rescue
Meanwhile, the menace of illegal mining continued side by side with the heavy deforestation of the land, posing a double jeopardy for the state.
In June 2023, the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, inaugurated the Taraba State Task Force on Environmental Protection, Public Safety and Prohibition of Deforestation, headed by Brig-Gen. Jeremiah Faransa (rtd). The governor then signed the Executive Order 3 and 5 (as amended) suspending mining activities and deforestation in the state.
This policy direction by the governor could be a deliberate attempt at looking at alternative revenue sources for the state rather than an attempt to save the environment.
The Task Force has achieved a lot just as it faced several challenges due to the presence of an entrenched “cartel” and bottlenecks from official and non-official quarters. Besides that, the terrain is a huge challenge considering the land mass and the under-developed nature of the state.
According to the Task Force through its spokesman, Ibrahim Zuppai, it has discovered 15 illegal mining sites across five local government areas namely Sardauna, Gashaka, Bali, Wukari and Karim-Lamido. They have arrested 17 foreign nationals and 100 Nigerians involved in illegal mining. The suspects have since been handed over to the special mobile court for prosecution.
Also, over a billion naira has been realised as fines from those arrested for flouting the Executive Order. The minerals discovered include Fluoride, Zircon, Blue Sapphire, Lead, Iron Monzite, Quartz and Galena.
In September 2023, the Task Force made the biggest recovery of 22,373 kilograms of Blue Sapphire in Mayo Sena, a notorious illegal mining site in Sardauna LGA of Taraba State. While speaking on the discovery, Faransa also disclosed the enormous mineral potentials in the state, which includes the discovery of uranium in Yorro LGA.
But as the Task Force was yet to recover from the euphoria of its successes, a scandal ensued which might potentially pitch the Task Force against the authorities. The latest scandal was the destruction of mining equipment in yet another notorious mining site in Akwana, a border community between Taraba and Benue states, a fortnight ago.
The Task Force was allegedly accused of ordering the burning down of mining equipment which belonged to the state government. The mining equipment, reportedly worth billions of naira, were said to have been procured and transported to site by the Taraba State Bureau for Solid Mineral Resources. They include excavators, soundproof Mikano generators, detecting machines, motorcycles and others.
That act actually generated social media reactions and concerns by citizens who have all along criticised the activities of the Task Force. Controversy is still raging in the state over the matter as citizens continue to lament over what they say is an unnecessary waste of tax payers’ funds used in the purchase of the equipment.
Irked by this development, a pressure group known as Taraba Concern Citizens (TCC) have accused the Task Force of destroying State-owned mining assets and called on Governor Kefas to come out clear and inform the people of the state on the true position of things. They demanded to know why a Task Force established by his government would go all out to destroy equipment worth billions of naira which were procured with tax payers’ money.
The Coordinator of the group, Comrade Emos Tijani, while addressing journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State capital last week, alleged that there were discrepancies leading to the burning of the mining equipment. He stated that “it is still not clear why a Task Force that was established by the governor would destroy state owned properties of such magnitude”.
He said: “We the concerned citizens are still confused on what led to the destruction of the mining equipment.
“Is it that the Faransa-led Task Force is in disagreement with the state government or is it that the governor and his government have also engaged in illegal mining activities that the equipment worth billions of naira were destroyed at this time that we are always told there is economic hardship?
“We demand to know.”
The Permanent Secretary, Taraba State Bureau for Solid Mineral Resources, Matsai David, confirmed that he did convey the mining equipment procured by the Bureau to Akwana in Wukari on the directive of the governor.
He said: “I conveyed the mining equipment to Wukari on the directive of the governor. I am not answerable to the Task Force. When the governor comes back from his trip, I will give my explanation on the situation. For now, I reserve my comment.”
But the Taraba State Government did not come out clear on the matter and only gave a tacit response on the matter.
Speaking during a parley with journalists in Jalingo, the Taraba State Commissioner of Information, Barrister Zainab Usman Jalingo, said: “I don’t think there is a disconnection between the Task Force on Illegal Mining and the government. If there is a misunderstanding, it is something to be sorted out at their level.”
According to her, the legal and regulatory framework has already been put in place in the state, in collaboration with the federal government in order to avoid conflicts.
Jalingo stated: “I happen to be part of the delegation at the Ministry of Solid Minerals and I happen to be part of the committee that tidied up and sorted out the Mining Act in the state.
“As far as Taraba State is concerned, the issue of mining, we have concurrent interest as to the implementation of the Mining Act.
“Where any of the miners is going to explore more than five centimetres into the ground, the state government has to be taken into consideration.
“We have tidied that up at the House of Assembly and they have promulgated a law before the initial issue of mining in the state.
“So anyone that enters Taraba must first register with the Minister of Solid Minerals at the federal level and then at the state level too.”
On the part of the Task Force, it said it did not deliberately burn the equipment and usually follows due process in its activities.
According to the spokesman of the Task Force, Ibrahim Zuppai, the governor actually gave the directive for any illegal mining equipment to be burnt whenever they are found since they can’t be confiscated. He added that the allegation was a ploy by a “cartel” to pit the Task Force against the governor.
A statement he issued reads: “The attention of the Taraba State Task Force on Environmental Protection, Public Safety and Prohibition of Deforestation has been drawn to a malicious allegation circulating in the media. The Task Force and its Chairman, Brigadier General Jeremiah Faransa (rtd), were accused of destroying government owned mining equipment in Akwana.
“We categorically debunk this baseless allegation and set the record straight. The Task Force has been diligently carrying out its functions in accordance with Executive Order No. 3 and 5 as amended, signed by Gov. Agbu Kegas in 2023.
“The allegation of destroying government-owned mining equipment is a clear attempt by a cartel to create a rift between the governor and the Task Force and to undermine our efforts to protect the State’s environment, its resources and citizens as the task force was not communicated of any government’s equipment deployed to any mining site when the government is still working on a clear guide line for all miners to adhere to.”
The House of Representatives has expressed concern over the rise in illegal mining in the country, saying host communities now live in agonising condition.
The Speaker of the House of Reps, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas said this at the investigation hearing of the joint committee on illegal mining in Nigeria in Abuja on Monday.
He said that the rise in illegal mining highlights fundamental social, institutional and structural problems in the country.
He added that the investigation was aimed to provide enough guidance on curbing the menace of illegal mining.
He said that the aim was to also assess the role played by the regulators in the process of their regulatory functions as it relates to mining practices.
“The decision of the House of Reps to investigate illegal mining shows our commitment and determination to take decisive steps toward addressing nefarious mining practices.
“And the non-compliance with set standards in the solid minerals sector, including the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act (Amendment) Bill and the Nigeria Solid Mineral Development Company (Establishment) Bill.
This he said was currently before the House and for which a Public Hearing would soon be held.
He said the investigative hearing was critical in the fact that various communities where mining is taking place in Nigeria live in agonising conditions, economically and socially.
“These communities have faced years of neglect and various deprivations and severe environmental degradation, air and water pollution, arising from unsafe mining practices by illegal miners.
Rep. Jonathan Gaza, the Chairman, House Committee on Solid Mineral, said the investigative hearing was imperative to allow for transparency and accountability.
He stated that this was to allow public participation, policy formation and identify challenges and solutions that would ultimately lead to the revamping of the nation’s solid mineral sector.
He stated that, illegal mining posed substantial risks to the nation’s economy, environment, and security.
According to him, the unregulated exploitation of our natural resources jeopardizes the sustainability of the mineral sector.
Gaza said this leads to environmental degradation and revenue loses that could otherwise benefit the communities and the nation.
He said it was imperative that urgent and decisive steps be taking to address the issue and ensure that the solid mineral sector operate within the framework of the law.
Gaza said that the present administration is committed to ensure the protection of the nation’s natural resources for future generations.
The Rivers state government has shut down three dredging sites in Chokocho community in Etche local government area of the state for operating without permit.
The state commissioner for environment, Sydney Gbara, spoke after an inspection of some dredging sites in Port Harcourt and its environs.
Gbara said said the dredging sites had no environmental protection, adding that the activities of the dredging companies were affecting the road.
He said: “We are here on the directives of His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara on inspection of dredging activities and necessary enforcement around this area. We have gone round and some sites have been shut, about three for non-compliance to standards.
“This particular site as you can see is already threatening the federal road and as a responsible government we will not want to stop the means of livelihood of our people. No, we are encouraging them.
“But when what they are doing becomes inimical to the environment it becomes a problem and we have to step in. and that is why we are shutting down these sites. This place is going to remain shut until the Governor directs otherwise.”
Gbara maintained that the Governor Siminalayi Fubara-led administration was committed to protecting the environment and attracting more investors to the state.
He said: “We are going to investigate and know those behind these activities and bring them to book. That is the truth. We are going to visit other dredging sites in the state, scrap metals and every other operation.
“If your operation is in compliance with that of the state government, we don’t have business with you. Instead the government will encourage you and give you the protection that you need to go ahead with your business.
“But as long as it is not in compliance with the State Ministry of Environment and it is inimical to the environment we are definitely going to step in. Every sector has rules and regulations.
“This is a government that wants to ensure that our people and the environment are protected.”
The federal government’s crackdown on illegal mining made significant progress on Friday, July 12, with the arraignment of several Chinese nationals for illicit mining activities in the Lokpaukwu community, Umuchieze, within the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
The suspects, comprising eight Chinese nationals and one Nigerian, were recently apprehended by the Mining Marshals, an elite security unit established by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a statement issued on Friday, July 12, by Segun Tomori, the special assistant on media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, it was emphasized that the Marshals are dedicated to eradicating illegal operations in the mining sector.
The Mining Marshals, codenamed “Operation Hayakin Kogo,” is the brainchild of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake. This initiative is a pivotal component of his 7-point agenda aimed at sanitizing the mining environment.
The trial of the suspects began yesterday before Justice J.K Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The prosecution filed a 3-count charge, bordering on mining without lawful authority, and obstruction of lawful mining operations amongst others.
The defendants include SHEN YONGCHAN, MO BAIXIAN, XIAO BIN, HUANG XU FA, MA BINGLI, YANG JIAN, LI PEIYIN, QUE WENYONG, HIYK EDWARD DESMOND, and WANDA COMPANY LIMITED.
Upon hearing the pleas and arguments from both sides, the defendants were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre until the adjourned date for the continuation of the trial.
The Mining Marshals, led by ACC John Onoja, comprise a 2,570-strong force dedicated to eliminating the nefarious activities of criminal syndicates in mining areas across the country.
According to him, “The Minister is committed to strengthening the operations of the Mining Marshals through the infusion of technology and more equipment to ultimately ensure that the nation reaps maximum benefits from its God-given mineral resources.”
The Nigerian Mining Geosciences Society (NMGS) has expressed worry over the activities of illegal miners, saying the country is losing billions of revenue.
It said adequate funding of mine offices across the country by the federal government ensures proper monitoring of sharp practices and helps mitigate illegal mining.
The president of the Nigerian Mining Geosciences Society, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, said this in a press conference to mark the 255th Council Meeting of the society in Uyo on Friday, June 21.
Olatunji said that there was a need for the government to adequately fund the mine offices with qualified staff and logistics to check the menace of illegal mining.
He said that activities of illegal mining in the country have affected the economy and caused environmental degradation in the nation, stressing that it should not be allowed to continue.
He called on proper funding and equipping of all federal mines offices across the federation with logistics vehicles to reach all remote areas where mining activities are being carried out.
“Illegal mining does not take place in the city centres but in the remote areas with very little or no motorable roads and for you to monitor, you need personnel, who are qualified, motivated, energised and well-regulated.
“Federal mines offices are supposed to be equipped with vehicles and personnel. They are supposed to have sufficient running costs to do the job, but reverse is the case.
“Most of the mines offices are poorly staffed this is one the biggest problems we have been shouting about, they are poorly staffed.
“For a government to be talking seriously about curbing illegal mining, they need to increase the staff strength of the mining inspectorate units.
“One of the things we are pushing is that the staff in that unit should be treated like those in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on a separate salary scale.
“So that when people are properly regulated, they will surely do the work well.
“The government must stop playing leap service on stopping illegal mining activities in the country but should fund the mining offices properly.
“As a society, we frown at illegal mining because it denies the nation revenue, denies our people jobs, and also devastates the environment.
“If illegal mining is not curtailed we will continue to see vast wasteland not useful for any other thing,” Olatunji said.
Olatunji allayed the fears that borehole drilling was the cause of earthquakes, stressing that borehole drilling does not have any relationship with earthquakes.
He, however, warned that indiscriminate drilling of boreholes has environmental consequences.
Sir: I commend the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake for suspending all sorts of mining anywhere near Obafemi Awolowo University. However, beyond suspension, I call on the federal government to stop, not suspend, every form of unregulated mining not just in OAU but Ife and Osun State as a whole. Also, the mining sites must be taken over by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals while the university dam and adjoining water bodies be analysed to know the level of pollution and other impact of the activities of these reckless miners. Also, there must be a plan to carry out immediate and thorough remedial actions to restore the quality of land and water bodies impacted by the illegal mining as well as adequate compensation to individuals and communities whose livelihood and health may have been adversely impacted.
The clampdown should have extended to other places like Ilesha and some other parts of Ile-Ife where such activities are recklessly going on. It is an open secret that Chinese nationals are hugely invested in illegal mining in and around Osun State and that they enjoy support and connivance by unscrupulous traditional rulers, politicians and security personnel. The consequences of suspending illegal mining in OAU and leaving those at Ilesha and other parts of Ile-Ife is tantamount to stopping a criminal in a town while abandoning the neighbouring ones where more devastating activities take place.
The identities of those behind the unregulated mining must not be hidden and no one involved should be shielded. From Ibese to Ogbese to Niger-Delta, Zamfara, Borno and others; private unregulated mining of state resources are not only devastating to the society economically and developmentally, they pose grave threats to societal existence.
Moreover, the illegal mining in Ile-Ife is what has emboldened land-grabbers in the area. Currently, a fence is being erected on the university land by those unscrupulous elements. Things have reached a point for the Minister of Education to step in by enforcing sanity at OAU. He must not only warn land-grabbers against their encroachment activities on OAU land but also visit sanctions on those involved. A visiting panel needs to be set up to look into the level of the encroachment and more specifically, the matter of three-block students hostel which has not been put to use since 2018 as a consequence of threat of fire and brimstone by some unscrupulous elements in the Ife community. It is time to put the building to immediate use to address the dire accommodation problem bedevilling the university.
A 53-year-old man, Madueke Akpuchukwu, arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) operatives in Anambra state, has admitted to engaging in illegal mining for the past eight years.
Akpuchukwu caught transporting a suspected solid mineral (Kaolin) without a valid permit at Igbariam in Anambra East Local Government Area, confessed during interrogation.
The suspect, a native of Awomama town in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo state was arrested along with his accomplice, one Chimezie Ezenduka (54) of No 4 All Mekus Drive, Federal Housing, Onitsha.
He said: “I’ve been in the business of transporting Kaolin to needed companies for eight years without any certification as a licensed miner. I’m sorry for my actions and promise never to engage in any form of illegal mining.”
Parading the suspects at the state headquarters on Wednesday, the state commandant of NSCDC, Comdt. Maku Olatunde said the duo were trailed and arrested on Tuesday, at about 1100hrs following credible intelligence.
According to the Commandant, preliminary investigations showed that the 40-ton truck with no registration number was loaded with 600 bags of Kaolin and covered with tarpaulin to disguise it as a cement consignment.
He gave the value of the solid minerals at N20, 204, 400, adding that they were excavated at a sealed site around Nando and being transported outside the state without waybill or license permitting the suspects to deal in mining.
He commended the Command’s Mining Marshal Squad led by ACC Agunwa Osita for acting on the strength of the information to apprehend the economic saboteurs.
Maku, however, regretted that the activities of illegal miners have been depriving the state under the solution-focused administration of Prof Chukwuma Soludo of the much-needed revenue to bring the dividend of democracy to Ndi Anambra.
He said: “NSCDC will continue to check the activities of those engaging in illegal mining across the state. It is not going to be business as usual.
“The Corps will be unrelenting in discharging its core mandate of checkmating and flushing out illegal miners from the state.
“They should either relocate from the State or stop immediately before the long hands of the law catches up on them.”
While assuring that the suspects would be arraigned after investigations, the NSCDC boss called on residents to report illegal mining activities within their domains and continue to share useful information on anyone involved in unlawful mineral-related practices and environmental degradation for a prompt response.
The Niger State Commissioner of Mineral Resources, Garba Sabo, has disclosed that 30 persons have been arrested in connection to illegal mining activities across some mining sites in Niger state.
Just as he said the Ministry has profiled 229 mining companies across the state to critically assess them to know which company’s mining activity would be approved or disapproved.
Speaking with newsmen in Minna, the commissioner said that they would have made more arrests but the miners usually run away upon sighting them adding that the arrests took place during recent visits to some illegal mining sites across Minna.
He said that the order of the Governor on the ban of illegal mining stands adding that anyone still involved in mining at the moment is doing it illegally.
Sabo noted that the ministry has been carrying out its activities diligently faulting some reports that state that the ministry is not working to ensure that the Governor’s directive is enforced.
“It is unfair to call us incompetent when you have not seen the work we have done. We go into these mining sites and sometimes despite we are with security, we are usually being attacked. We are doing our best to be sure that we stop the activities of illegal mining in the state and to protect the mining sites.”
The commissioner then disclosed that the Ministry is trying to introduce biometrics to get the complete details of all the miners in the state so that there would be no incidents of some mining organizations involved in several mining activities across the state while others would have none.
No fewer than 41 men were on Thursday, March 7, arraigned at the Federal High Court, Ibadan over activities that bordered on illegal mining.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Uche Agomoh by the federal government through the Nigeria Police.
The defendants were arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and illegal mining.
The police prosecuting counsel, Michael Ojeah, told the court that the 41 defendants, on January 25, at Onipanu village in Ibadan judicial division, did conspire with one another to commit a felony with unlawful mining.
Ojeah further stated that the defendants, acting without legal authorization, mined and concealed 24.96 grams of gold ore, valued at N1,248,000, extracted from an illegal mine site at Onipanu village, Ilaju in Ibadan.
According to him, under count one, the defendants violated sections 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, vol. 11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. 2004
Under count two, he said the defendants committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Volume.9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.2004.
All the 41 defendants pleaded guilty to the charge.
Ojeah subsequently informed the court that he was prepared to present the facts of the case since the defendants had pleaded guilty.
Inspector Awosanmi Abiola, who led a team of security operatives that arrested the defendants testified before Justice Agomoh on the facts of the case.
Abiola tendered statements of five principal witnesses and statements of the 41 defendants recorded after the arrest.
Justice Agomoh admitted all the statements tendered and were marked as exhibits 1 – 46, as the defendants’ counsel, Suraji Musa did not object.
Musa, however, prayed to the court for a short adjournment for the continuation of the case review which Justice Agomoh granted and adjourned until March 11, for the continuation of the prosecution’s review of the case.
