Illegal miners vow to resist Niger governor over ban

..Say that’s the only job available for them

BY SAKA BOLAJI

Both illegal and official miners in Niger State, have continued to carry out their activities without any hindrance saying, “we do not have any other job to do”.

However, this is in a total disregard to the state governor, Mohamed Umar Bago’s stern warning and ban placed on their activities throughout the state.

Sunday Times’ finding revealed that before the collapse of two mining pits in communities in Shiroro and Paikoro local government areas of the state where some lives were lost and others still trapped, the state governor had placed a ban on mining in all parts of the state. He had even given a ‘shoot at sight’ order.

To drive home the stern warning, the state government had intensified actions by arresting some of the artisanal miners including women and breastfeeding mothers.

However these threats by the government seem to be falling on deaf ears as many of the miners have resolved not to stop, citing their unemployed status as reason.

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Speaking with an artisanal miner who simply gave her name as Rahina, she said the government is being insensitive to their plights adding that “most of us here were chased out of our lands by Boko Haram and our husbands have been killed or abducted.”

The mother of three told journalists that when their community in Shiroro LGA was attacked and her husband killed, they managed to move to Minna for survival.

According to her “when we arrived Minna, we went begging for food and we had no place to sleep until this 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 with me.

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

“We started living in this uncompleted building 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 and pleaded that his photograph should not taken told journalists that “Governor Bago does not care whether we are alive or surviving. We are farmers but Boko Haram chased us out of our lands, what did he do?

“We are not lazy people and because we do not want to steal or indulge in attacking people for survival, we decided to do this mining work and it is God-given resources.”

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 sincere about banning mining, let them go to Allawa, Galkogo and other communities and stop those Boko Haram and Bandits’ miners who are making millions of Naira every day.

“Have you asked yourself has the government found out why? Despite 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”.

It was alleged that a Chinese company had plundered the community and other surrounding villages while bribing bandits believed to be a faction of Boko Haram

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.

A spokesperson for the Ministry, Mrs. Maureen Dibie told newsmen, that several equipment used for illegal mining were also seized from the illegal miners.

She disclosed that it was discovered that “majority of these miners hailed from Sokoto and other states. Only a few of them are 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 submitted 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 close to El Amin University, M.I Wushishi Estate, Angwan Kompani along Eastern Bypass, Shango and behind the state-owned Abdulkadir Kure University of Education have artisanal miners on daily basis especially during the rains.

Top on the list of those arrested include aged women and nursing mothers and children who are mostly of school age.

The state’s crack team was led by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Yunusa Nahauni with other top officials backed up by police operatives, Nigerian security and civil defense corpse and the State’s forest hunters.

The raid was extended to the premises of a privately 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 off 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 clash 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 impact 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”.