The Kwara State government has sought the partnership of security agencies to flush out illegal miners in the state.
Adenike Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin, the state commissioner for solid minerals development, made the call during her visit to security agencies in the state, saying such collaboration will curb insecurity and illegal mining activities.
In a statement by Oluwakemi Ogundeji, the press secretary of the ministry, Afolabi-Oshatimehin lauded Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for establishing the solid minerals development ministry.
In response, Muhammed Ibrahim Tukur, the state commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), affirmed there were illegal miners, and this has encouraged criminals to hibernate under the guise of mineral exploration.
He said there was a need to check these criminals in order to bring sanity to mining sites and the host communities.
Tukur, therefore, promised to collaborate with the state government and other stakeholders to address illegal mining and influx of illegal immigrants who have no direct business with mining in the state.
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At the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the state director, Bashir Abubakar, promised to assist the government when called upon for possible intervention in respect of security and protection of lives and property, in a bid to flush out illegal miners and other criminally minded people loitering around communities in the state.
He lamented the loss of revenue to the activities of illegal miners and its attendant security breach.
Also responding, at the state police headquarters, Emienbo Assayomo, the Commissioner of Police (CP), said that the command was aware of illegal mining activities in the state, which the ministry cannot handle alone except with the assistance of security operatives.
He enjoined the ministry to evolve an action plan and strategy to curtail the activities of these artisanal miners. He also assured the command’s support to deal with the illegality.
