Kwara State Police Command says it has arrested eight illegal miners and recovered three trailer loads of marble stones in the Patigi local government area of the state.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Okasanmi Ajayi, on Thursday evening said that the suspects were arrested along the Share, Tsaragi and Patigi areas of the state on October 30, 2022, at 2:00 am.
The statement also said that the arrest was made possible when the command acted on a petition and a letter written to the state commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, by the residents and natives of Patigi in Patigi local government area of Kwara state and the Association of Licenced Miners of Kwara State to the effect that illegal miners have turned their ancestral lands to a beehive of illegal mining of the mineral resources thereby causing ecological problem and sabotage to the economy of both the state and the federal government.
“Based on this petition, a team of Kwara State Police Command’s operatives were dispatched to the area to arrest and if possible recover and impound any illegally mined minerals in the said area.
“The police team swung into action and on 30/10/2022 at about 0200hrs the suspects named hereunder were arrested with three trailer loads of suspected marbles illegally mined.
“Abdulbaqi Sadiq ‘male’ aged 28years with a trailer with registration number SGM 222 ZR, Isah Amisu ‘male’ aged 28years with a trailer with registration number GBE 347ZE, Mohammed Zanihat Idris aged 27years ‘male’ with a trailer with registration number BWR 151 YL, Alhassan Rabiu ‘male’, Mohammed Abdulbaqi ‘male’, Ibrahim Sule Balarabe ‘male’ Mohammed Dalhatu Idris and Abubakar Tasiu.
“Exhibits have been recovered to the police headquarters, while the suspects after interrogation and confessions have been charged to court.
“The command is stating with all sense of responsibility that economic sabotage and any act inimical to the health and security of lives and property of the citizens and people of the state would be resisted.
“The CP is therefore advising the good people of Kwara State to join hands with the police to rid the state of all forms of criminality”.
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