Chief of Defence Staff, (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has decried the involvement of some of the countrys elites in illegal mining activities in the country, noting that they are obstructing efforts to arrest illegal miners.
Musa, who was represented by Air Vice-Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo, at an investigative hearing in Abuja, noted that when foreign nationals involved in illegal mining are apprehended, they often claim to have connections with influential individuals. According to him, these connections may lead to their release, undermining the efforts of security agencies.
The Defence Chief emphasised the need to strengthen the regulatory framework governing mining in Nigeria, citing the militarys experience with illegal mining operations.
He said, Talking of illegal mining, Im going to talk about how the military sees it. There are so many other stakeholders that I want to talk about. From our various operations and the statistics that we have, we notice that, first of all, the framework guiding mining in Nigeria is very, very good. It needs to be strengthened. Why do I say so, sir?.
In 2018 or so, during the last administration, there was a ban on illegal mining in South Africa, South Africa, and Nigeria, which even established a gold mining zone. Despite that ban, mining licences were being issued to people to mine in that zone. So, the strengthening of the institutional framework is very key.
Calling for tough sanctions for those involved in the act, the CDS maintained that Anybody caught in this illegal mining must be dealt with decisively and examples should be made publicly for others to know. The third aspect we noted is poverty. In these areas where this illegal mining takes place, the people are poor. Virtually, lack of education is also part of it. Most of them that we get, have no formal education.
