David AFOLABI
An illegal mining camp operating at Ileki-Ijesa, along the busy Ile-Ife/Ilesa Road in Osun State, has been dismantled, leading to the arrest of two suspects.
The enforcement operation was carried out by a joint task force of the Solid Minerals Development Ministry.
Minister Dele Alake also reiterated the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to sanitising the extractive sector.
He said there would be no haven for illegal miners or their wealthy backers anywhere in Nigeria. Africans& Diaspora
Reacting to the development in a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, the minister stressed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has made cleaning up the mining ecosystem an absolute national priority. ExecutiveBranch
He highlighted how tighter security structures were aggressively reversing years of unregulated exploitation.
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Alake said: “The establishment of the Mining Marshals has significantly strengthened the government’s enforcement capacity, leading to the arrest of more than 300 illegal miners and the prosecution of over 150 suspects, including foreign nationals, while several illegal mining sites have been shut down across the country.”
But he noted that the government cannot fight the battle alone, appealing to grassroots community leadership to protect their domains.
“Illegal mining destroys the environment, fuels insecurity, deprives the nation of legitimate revenue and undermines the livelihoods of law-abiding miners,” Alake warned.
