The Federal Government says it has cleared an illegal mining site in Kogi State after more than 20 years of illegal activities.
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, in a statement on Saturday, said the exercise was carried out by the mining marshals in Jaguna, off Iye and Odogbe communities in Yagba East Local Government Area.
Alake said the marshalls, a special security unit established to secure mining sites, conducted the clearance operation to enforce compliance with the government’s directive for the illegal miners to vacate the area.
“It will be recalled that on 15th July 2024, Jaguna, an area surrounded by forest, was raided by the mining marshals, resulting in the arrest of seven suspected illegal gold miners.
“Labourers on-site were given a directive to vacate the area within five days,” the statement notes; while the minister added that, instead of complying with the directive, the miners mobilised additional workers and “fortified the site with armed protection.”
Alake said the illegal miners also ignored appeals from traditional rulers and other community leaders to vacate the site to allow licensed mineral title holders unhindered access to the area for legitimate operations.
He disclosed that the legitimate holders of mining licences had been blocked from accessing the site because of the activities of armed illegal miners for more than 16 years.
“Reports indicate that the nefarious activities had gone unhindered for more than 20 years,” Alake said, adding that the situation necessitated the latest follow-up operation by the mining marshals.
“Acting on intelligence reports suggesting that the illegal operators had remained defiant, the mining marshals, last week, stormed the site, neutralised resistance from the armed gangs, and successfully cleared the area,” he said.
The minister said the exercise was part of efforts to combat illegal mining and sanitising the economic sector.
