Ogun vows clampdown as mining fields turn death trap

The Ogun State Government has vowed to clamp down on illegal miners and dredgers in the Ado Odo area of the state.

This is due to repeated deaths caused by illegal mining and dredging activities in the area.

One Akande who was walking around a mining site at Iloro, Ado-Odo slipped, fell into a pit, and drowned on October 4, 2024.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that a mechanic who came to the site to repair machines also slipped into the water and died last week.

A source, who didn’t want his name in print for fear of being victimised, said the latest incident happened at Folaran behind Oloparun Primary School in Ado Odo.

According to him, the mechanic came to fix a machine, but after finishing the job, he slipped into the water and died.

“They don’t give their workers life jackets. We want the commissioner for works to intervene in the matter in that area because those who are dredging aren’t doing so in the swampy areas. They dredge on the upland. This can cause a lot of damage in the future,” he explained.

Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, the state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said he would arrest anybody found wanting.

“I will tell the task force to investigate the area. We’ll get across to the police in that area, find out the people there and arrest those involved in illegal mining,” Oresanya said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said, “It is old news.”

When asked about what the police were doing about it, Odutola said, “Let’s get an official complaint. There must be a complainant.”