Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has said that the war against illegal mining in the last one year has led to the arrest of 327 offenders and recovery of 98 illegal mining sites.
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He attributed this achievement to the patriotic and determined efforts of the Mining Marshals, a special enforcement unit established exactly a year ago.
Alake who spoke at a press conference to mark the first anniversary of the Mining Marshal yesterday in Abuja, said that the special unit has succeeded in restoring access to legally licensed operators to their mining sites.
Commending the Marshals, the minister noted that the initiative has significantly deterred illegal mining activities, which had previously crippled legitimate businesses and posed security threats.
“The activation of the Mining Marshals sent shivers down the spine of illegal miners. It is no longer business as usual,” he declared.
Alake recalled that but for the Mining Marshals’ intervention, several licensed mining companies had lost access to their sites due to encroachment by illegal miners, some of whom had occupied these locations for over a decade.
He cited a landmark operation by the Mining Marshal at North South Extractive Industries Limited in Kogi State, where over 3,000 illegal miners were flushed out.
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