Three Chinese, others nabbed for illegal mining

Abdullateef Fowewe

Three Chinese citizens and two Nigerian accomplices were apprehended by the team of Mining Marshals on a mining site located at Rafin-Gabas, Agwada Area Council, Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

This was made known in a statement by the Special Assistant, Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori.

Tomori stated that the marshals effected the arrest during the weekend while acting on credible intelligence on the activities of the illegal miners on the site.

The statement partly reads, “The Federal Government’s onslaught against illegal mining continues to gather momentum as the Mining Marshals, acting on credible intelligence, last week swooped on an illegal mining site in Nasarawa state.

“The operation led to the arrest of three Chinese nationals and two Nigerians on a mining site located at Rafin-Gabas, Agwada Area Council, Kokona LGA, Nasarawa state. The suspects were arrested for mining without lawful authorisation. Some of the minerals being mined include Fluorite, Zinc, Lead and Tin.”

Tomori further stressed that the arrested suspects confessed to having been on illicit activities at the site spanning five cadastral units since December 15, 2021.

He noted that the arrested suspects have defied all lawful advice to regularise their activities, adding that by their illegal activities the suspects “continue siphoning the nation’s resources, causing significant revenue losses to the federal government.”