The Nigerian Army says it has detained 387 people in connection with illicit mining but has turned them over to prosecuting authorities.
Chris Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, announced this on Monday when testifying before the House Committee on Solid Minerals.
Musa, represented by the Director of Operations, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius, stated that the military is simply assisting other security agencies in combating illicit mining.
According to the Chief of Defence Staff:
“The involvement of the elites in it, we can’t tell, but we know that most of the time when we catch these foreigners, they will tell us that they have connections. I don’t want to say some things, but sometimes you hand these people over and the next thing you see, they’re released.”
He also revealed that some illegal miners came from Burkina Faso to work in Nigeria and that the military would support the proposal for a short-term stoppage of mining.
“We have people from Burkina Faso coming to mine in Nigeria. So the strength of our borders, too, is a factor. Why I’m saying all this is that there’s a need for the government to properly equip those involved to checkmate most of this illegal mining,” he added.
In his remarks, Committee Chairman Jonathan Gwefi stated that the government lost more than $9 billion due to unlawful mining activities.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
