Police operatives in Nasarawa have apprehended 109 illegal miners in the state.
The suspects were paraded on Tuesday by the Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, who stated that they were arrested in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area.
Nadada mentioned that the suspects were captured as a result of the diligent work done by officers from the anti-kidnapping unit of the command, in partnership with the Vigilante group of Nasarawa Eggon LGA.
He further explained that the operation started from Mada station to Wakama community, focusing on the Alogani Mountain area, where kidnappers often hide their victims until a ransom is paid.
Nadada explained that 109 suspects were arrested in various locations on the mountain for illegally mining solid minerals like Topaz, Tin, and Aquamarine. He mentioned that the suspects were found with weapons such as a dane gun, cutlasses, and knives, as well as illegally mined minerals. These items were recovered as evidence.
“Yesterday, February 19, 2024, at about 6am, the anti-kidnapping unit of the command in collaboration with vigilante groups from the Nasarawa Eggon LGA engaged in a massive raid of some criminal hideouts at Alogani hills in Nasarawa Eggon LGA,” he said.
“They raided from Mada station to Wakama area to arrest suspected kidnappers. Unfortunately, some of them ran away but we were able to arrest some illegal miners, about 109 of them who are here.
“We immediately took them into custody and we have commenced an investigation. We are ready to partner with the state government to ensure that these illegal miners are profiled and then further necessary actions will follow.”
The Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, praised the police for apprehending the suspected miners. He granted them pardon on behalf of the state government but warned that they would be arrested and prosecuted if they continued their illegal activities.
“We commend the Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police for this diligent operation that has apprehended these illegal artisanal miners in their hundreds. This can only be achieved with the benefit of hindsight backed by strong local experience; on behalf of His Excellency, the Executive Governor, thank you for this feat.
“On this note, I strongly put to them (suspected illegal miners) as an order and a last chance to repent from their illegal operation and form cooperative groups and get registered with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment as a first step followed by a further registration and profiling by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources for the purposes of documentation and identification of their operational status for peace and security; this they must do with the urgency it deserves before returning to their mining sites.
“This is a kind gesture in the posture of the current Administration to allow for private business development and economic empowerment for poverty reduction, but this should not be a licence for illegality,” Kwanta said.
