By Damilare Adeleye
Three Chinese nationals and two Nigerians have been arrrested for mining without lawful authorisation at Rafin-Gabas, Agwada Area Council, Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
It was learnt that the suspects were arrested by mining marshals.
The Senior Special Assistant on media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, made this known in a statement on Monday, noting that some of the minerals being mined include Fluorite, Zinc, Led, and Tin.
According to the statement, the arrested suspects confessed to having been on illicit activities at the site spanning five (5) cadastral units since 15th December 2021.
The statement reads in part; “Some of the minerals being mined include Fluorite, Zinc, Led, and Tin. The arrested suspects confessed to having been on illicit activities at the site spanning five (5) cadastral units since 15th December 2021.
“The company defied all lawful advice to regularise their activities and continued siphoning the nation’s resources, causing significant revenue losses to the federal government.
“It will be recalled that the 2,570-strong Mining Marshals, an elite squad of specially trained officers drafted from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) conceptualised by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake has been taking the battle to illegal miners, with over 200 arrests so far, and about 140 undergoing prosecution across the country.
“The Federal Government remains committed to sanitising the mining sector. Hence, the operations of the Mining Marshals will be unrelenting until the mining environment is secure and safe for genuine investors.”