The Zamfara State Commissioner in charge of the Ministry of Solid Minerals, Dr. Nuruddeen Isa, said the state government did not own any gold fields.
Addressing newsmen in his office yesterday, Isa said the state government was not directly involved in mining activities as reported by the media.
The commissioner maintained that the State government only used to buy the gold from the illegal miners in order to prevent the commodity from being smuggled out of the country or sold out to bandits.
He stressed, however, that the state government has currently banned the mining activities in the state, adding that, anybody who wants to venture into mining activities should obtain a permit from the federal government.
