Just in: Solid Minerals Minister, Alake gives illegal miners 30 days ultimatum

“Let me declare again that the ministry is giving such persons 30 days grace to join a miners’ co-operative or find another vocation to do”

With about 80 percent of mining in the Northwest region said to be carried out illegally, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has given all miners engaged in the illegal extraction of mineral resources in the country an ultimatum of 30 days to join mining cooperatives or face the full wrath of the law.

The Minister disclosed that to foster compliance and strict surveillance of all mining activities in the country, the ministry will be setting up the new Mines Surveillance Security Task Force which will comprise you the Mine Police, drafted from the Nigeria Police.

The Minister, who made this known at a news conference in Abuja on Sunday, said the new mandate will be interpreted into Nigerian languages and broadcast on radio to ensure nobody is kept in the dark.

He said: “I am giving illegal miners in this country just 30 days grace to join cooperatives or find another vocation. Also, the proposed task force will be domiciled in the ministry and will comprise operatives of all the relevant security agencies.

“For the last time, let me declare again that the ministry is giving such persons 30 days grace to join a miners’ co-operative or find another vocation to do.

“On the expiration of the period, the full weight of the law will fall on anyone seen on a mining site without a determinable status. This message will be interpreted into Nigerian languages and broadcast on the radio to ensure no one is ignorant of this directive.

“From October, a rejuvenated security regime will become active in the solid minerals sector. This will include the Mine Police, sourced from the Nigeria Police and specially trained to detect illegal mining and apprehend offenders.

“The new Mines Surveillance Security Task Force will coordinate the Mines Police and proactively address high-risk incidences of breach of Mining Laws. The Federal and State governments will also be encouraged to allocate the prosecution of cases against illegal miners to competent courts.”

Persecondnews gathered that illegal mining activities in the country is aided by the federal government’s inability to put in place measures to curb the activities of illegal extraction of mineral resources in the country.

Artisanal mining make up of about 70 per cent of all mining activities in West Africa and in Nigeria it is more than 80 per cent.

Nigeria is losing about $9 billion to leakages in the mining sector annually and a lot of these $9 billion is from artisanal mining, Persecondnews reports.