Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the senate committee on
interior, has alleged that retired military generals are behind the spate of
illegal mining activities in the country.
According to Channels Television, the senator made the
allegation on Friday during the budget presentation by Sampson Ekong, chairman
of the senate committee on solid minerals development, to the senate committee
on appropriation.
“The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being
carried out by retired generals, and we know them. They use helicopters to cart
away gold, making billions of dollars, while the country suffers,” Oshiomhole
said.
“This issue has been left unchecked for too long. We have the data and surveys showing where these activities are happening. It’s time for the government to deploy joint task forces, just as it has done in tackling oil theft.”
Oshiomhole said he had written to former President Muhammadu
Buhari about the situation during his stint as the national chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), detailing how illegal miners arm local groups and
use sophisticated equipment to exploit resources.
The senator asked the federal government to take decisive
action on the illegal mining crisis, advocating for robust measures similar to
those deployed to combat illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.
Last year, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior,
launched the mining marshals to checkmate illegal mining of solid minerals
across the country.
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