Security team seizes cartons of suspected minerals, CCTV cameras, other equipment as state government intensifies crackdown on illegal miners.
Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe, on Friday led a surprise raid on an illegal mining site in Amba community, Kokona Local Government Area, arresting several foreign nationals and their local collaborators and seizing minerals and equipment worth millions of Naira.
The high-powered enforcement operation, which caught the operators unawares, targeted a secret mining field that had been operating without approval from either the federal or state government.
Sources at the scene said security operatives recovered cartons filled with suspected precious minerals ready for smuggling, alongside CCTV cameras, operational gadgets and other materials installed by the syndicate to monitor security movements and protect its illegal activities.
It was gathered that the foreigners arrested at the site could not provide valid mining licenses or immigration documents to justify their presence and operations in the area.The raid is the latest in the Nasarawa State Government’s renewed war against illegal mining, a menace that has deprived the state of huge revenues despite being one of Nigeria’s most solid mineral-rich states.
Speaking after the operation, authorities said the exercise aligns with Governor Abdullahi Sule’s directive to sanitize the mining sector, protect host communities from exploitation and environmental degradation, and ensure that all mining activities follow due process.
The arrested suspects have been handed over to relevant security and regulatory agencies for thorough investigation and prosecution in line with the law.
Government officials warned that no sacred cows will be spared, vowing that the clampdown will be extended to all the 13 local government areas of the state until illegal mining is completely stamped out.
JOIN THE Ibile9jaradio CONVERSATION:
Livestream24/7: www.ibile9janews.com/radio
Facebook: @ibile9jaradio & TV
Twitter: @ibile9jaradio1
Instagram: @ibile9jaradio
Website: www.ibile9janews.com
MobileAPP: Ibile9jaradio
Email: ibile9jaradio@gmail.com
FOR ADVERT BOOKINGS
Visit us today at our HEAD OFFICE in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Subscribe to Ibile9janews Newsletter.
Send us inquiries, Press releases.
