Miners kick as Niger gov clamps down on illegal mining activities

Against the backdrop of the stern warnings and ban on illegal and official mining activities in Niger State  by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, artisanal miners in the state have continued to carry out their activities across the state, saying “we do not have any other jobs”.

Recall that before the collapse of two mining pits in communities in Shiroro and Paikoro local government areas of the state during which several lives were lost and others trapped under the rubbles, the state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had placed a ban on mining activities in all parts of the state.

To this end, the state government in an effort to address the situation, arrested some of the artisanal miners including some old women and several nursing mothers, after which they were released.

Speaking to an artisanal miner who simply gave her name as Rahina, she said the government was  being insensitive about their plights/precarious conditions, adding that “most of us here were chased out of our ancestral homes and farmlands by armed bandits after destroying our homes and killed or abducted our husbands.”

The mother of three told journalists that when their communities in Shiroro LGA was attacked and her husband was killed, they managed to move to Minna to survive the ordeals.

According to her, “when we arrive Minna, we went begging for food and we had no place to sleep until the day I saw these people (miners) and I approached a lady who told me she is from Gusoro village in the same Shiroro local government area.

“She encouraged me to start mining so that I could feed my children because begging, according to her, exposed her to a lot of things. 

“We started living in an uncompleted building in conjunction with others and with my children. Sometimes, we make N1,000 and other times we make as much as N8,000 depending on luck”.

Another artisanal miner, who gave his name as Jibrin Musa, told Journalists that “Governor Umaru Bago does not care whether we are alive or surviving. We are farmers but Boko Haram insurgent groups chased us out of our villages and farmlands. What did he do?

“We are not lazy people and because we do not want to steal nor indulge in kidnapping and attacking people for survival, we decided to do this mining work and it is God-given resources,” he said.

Another artisanal miner, who pleaded anonymity, told our Correspondent that the government is chasing the wrong people who are only surviving.

According to him, “if the government is honest about banning mining activities, let them go to Allawa, Galkogo,Erena  and other communities and stop those suspected Boko Haram groups and armed Bandits- cum ‘miners’ who are making millions of Naira everyday,engaging in illegal mining activities.

“Have you asked yourself and has the government found out why, despite violent attacks on various communities, those working on mining sites are not attacked? Government should go and stop those mining companies who are paying royalties to terrorists and not come after us who are seeking daily survival”.

Meanwhile, officials of the Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources had raided several illegal mining sites in Minna, the state capital, during which seven male illegal miners and several women including breastfeeding mothers were arrested.

The men apprehended were handed over to the police for prosecution while the women were released considering their vulnerability, especially those who were nursing mothers or elderly.

In a statement by the Information officer of the Ministry, Ms. Maureen Debbie, and made available to newsmen, several equipment used for illegal mining activities were also seized from the illegal miners.

She pointed out  that it was discovered that  “majority of these miners hailed from Sokoto and other states in Northern Nigeria,” adding that only a few of them were locals.

“This underscores the need for stringent measures to be taken to prevent outsiders from exploiting the region’s mineral resources illegally, which can have detrimental effects on the environment and the local economy,” she stated .

She explained  that the “Ministry, with the support of the state authorities, remains determined to uphold the law and clamp down on illegal mining operations in Niger State by targeting these illegal activities.”

Furthermore, she said the government aims to protect both the natural resources and the communities that depend on them for their livelihoods.

The Mining sites are close to El-Amin University, M.I. Wushishi Estate, Angwan Kompani along Eastern Byepass, Shango and behind the State-owned Abdulkadir Kure University have artisanal miners on daily basis, especially during the rains.

The state government’s  crack team was led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yunusa Nahauni, with other top officials backed up by Police Operatives, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps { NSCDC) and the State’s forest hunters including NSEPA officials.

The raid was extended to the premises of a private-owned University, El-Amin University, Brighter schools road, T-mama area off Mandela road and Federal Government College staff school where the illegal miners were said to have been excavating without caution.

Speaking with the Dagacin of Maitumbi area, Yusuf Galadima, he said “I am concerned about the increasing involvement of breastfeeding mothers and underage children in illegal mining.

“There are times that these miners clashed at mining sites, which have led to the destruction of agricultural land. You can imagine how some of these children’s education has been disrupted.”

Also, the Dagacin of Kaffin-Tela, Mallam Suleimain Umar Shaba, while acknowledging the negative impacts of mining on children, said “a higher number of these children are out-of-school and the teenagers amongst them are already potential threats to our community.”

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• BREAKING: Pilot survives as NAF helicopter crashes in Kaduna

• Fuel Scarcity: Ibadan commuters stranded as petrol stations halt sale