Plateau: Unlawful mining part of elements fueling insecurity — Gov Mutfwang

The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has stated that unlawful mining in the state is one of the elements fueling insecurity, which is why the state government signed an Executive Order suspending mining activities.

Governor Mufwang said the minerals deposit in the state has become a significant security concern for Plateau State and that bandits have used the resources to sustain their nefarious activities by unleashing mayhem on innocent people.

Addressing newsmen, the governor mentioned that the sector was not effectively regulated before his administration, resulting in the exploitation of resources that could have been used to empower people.

“Mining is another critical driver, but also a big challenge. That’s why I signed an Executive Order suspending mining activities. It was misunderstood, not to deprive people, but to reorganise the sector. Too much is taken from the ground unreported. With proper reporting, Plateau could compete with the Niger Delta in revenue.

“Part of the insecurity we face is driven by these mineral attacks are often aimed at displacing communities so criminals can access deposits. We won’t allow that,” he vowed.

The Governor said, despite the efforts of the state government, the security challenge has not abated as expected, but added that if the government hadn’t done as much as it did, especially with the intelligence at its disposal, Plateau State would be in a worse situation.

“There are many details we cannot unveil, but I’m glad to tell you that, among the states in North Central Nigeria, Plateau is relatively safer than others. At the moment, there is no local government in Plateau State that is completely a no-go area. And in some parts of the North, there are local governments you cannot enter because they have been taken over by bandits.

“To the glory of God, we don’t have such a scenario here. What we have are opportunistic attacks — they strike, then disappear. We do not have resident bandit camps on the Plateau, except for the situation that arose in Wase and Kanam, where we actually had decades-old challenges. Some of you will recall that the Emir of Wase, even before we came in, cried out that half of his domain was under bandit occupation”

He disclosed that the security agencies have been able to push back and substantially regain ground in Wase local government area of the state, where bandits often used the game reserve in the area often used as a launching pad.

The governor further added that the state security outfit Operation Rainbow has been a good complement to other security agencies on the ground, adding that the government can only strengthen it, not remove it.

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