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From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State command, yesterday arrested five suspected illegal miners and recovered over 70 bags of gold ore at a mining site in Odonigi village, in Moro Local Government Area of the state.
Odonigi village, a mining site is over 70 kilometres from Malete, which has difficult terrains that make driving difficult.
The suspected illegal miners created several big holes at various locations of the mining site where the gold ore and tantalite were excavated.
The suspects are Mohammed Yahya, Mohammed Joffa, Aremu Rasaq, Aliyu Ndagi and the leader of the group, Engr Mumini Usman, who was arrested in llorin.
Some of the items recovered from the mining site are over 70 bags of gold ore, which is known as crude gold, 10 motorcycles, rifles, charms and equipment used for digging.
The head of the Solid Minerals Department at NSCDC, Omotayo Olubunmi, who led the team while speaking with newsmen at Odonigi village said, the action was to protect natural resources in Kwara from illegal miners.
He warned interested miners in the state to approach the office of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals in the state for licence before embarking on mining activities in any part of the state.
The Federal Mining Officer in charge of Kwara, Engr. Hussein Toyin-Ahmed, who was on the NSCDC convoy, described the act as denying the Federal Government’s huge revenue in the mining sector.
The Kwara Commandant of NSCDC, Pedro Awili ldeba, described the act of illegal mining as economic sabotage, which deserves punishment.
