Court sentences 13 to jail for illegal mining

A Magistrates’ Court in Minna on Wednesday sentenced thirteen men to six months imprisonment for illegal mining. They are Umar Bala, Sani Sadiq, Shaibu Musa, Mohammed Bala, Hassan Hussaini, Usman Bawa, Mubarak Lawal, Mukhtari Ibrahim, Umar Sani, Sadiq Liman, Emmanuel Joshua, Babangida Hassan and Idris Suleiman. The accused persons were docked on a two-count charge of criminal trespass and illegal mining, contrary to sections 348 and 29 of the penal code law. In his prayer, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Ahmed Ali, told the court that a written complaint was received from the authorities of the State College of Education, Minna on May 31. According to him “the college had alleged that people were trespassing into its premises for mining activities. “And the illegal mining was affecting college buildings and their presence was becoming a threat to the lives of the students and lecturers. “We (police) raided the site and arrested the accused persons who confessed to the crime”. When the charges were read to the accused persons, they all pleaded guilty and begged the court for leniency. The Prosecutor thereafter prayed the court to try them summarily in line with section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code. In his ruling, Magistrate Jibrin Zabo sentenced the accused persons to six months in prison or a fine of N20,000 each.]]>