The Zamfara state police command in a joint task operation with army and DSS have arrested 250 illegal miners including one Burkinabe national who were caught operating illegal mining activities in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Nagoggo, disclosed this while parading the suspects to newsmen at the Command’s headquarters in Gusau Friday.
“On May 21, 2020, the Brigade Commander 1 Brigade Nigerian Army, Gusau, Brig.-Gen. O. M Bello, led a team compromising the army, police and DSS to raid the mining sites in Anka, Bukkuyum and Gummi LGAs. The raiding of Kawaye, Zugu, Dan Kamfani, Bagega, Dareta and Dakie Takwas mining sites of the above LGAs led to the arrest of 250 Nigerians and one Burkinabe national,” he said.
According to him, exhibits recovered in the raiding and the arrest include 12 pumping machines, 29 motorcycles, chemicals for making gold and unrefined gold-sifting materials.
“The magnitude of arrest led both the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to give a matching order to security agents to go after these illegal miners,” he said.
He said further that all the suspects confessed to the offence and would be arraigned before the court of competent jurisdiction “whenever the court resumes sitting.”
“Let me sound a word of warning that until and unless the federal government unbanned the mining activities, anybody who goes against the norms will be arrested and severely dealt with according to the law of the land.”
