LAGOS – Six suspects and a Chinese national have been arrested following the recent protest by the residents of Ilate-Etido Community in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, over the activities of illegal miners in the area.
The protesters lamented the negative and destructive impacts of the illegal dredging of sand in the area, which, according to them, affected their farmlands, environment and their sources of living.
The combined team of soldiers from the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta and police operatives from the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Onikan, Lagos, yesterday, led to the arrest of the suspected illegal miners at a dredging site.
According to reports, some policemen and soldiers providing cover for the illegal miners, headed by the Chinese national, were equally rounded up.
The arrested civilians were whisked to Onikan, Lagos for interrogation.
Our correspondent gathered that the company dredging laterite and sand in the community had its mining licence revoked since August 12, 2022 by the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, Abuja.
A source in the community who preferred anonymity stated that despite the revocation of the mining license which was published in the official gazette of NMCO, Abuja, the company owned by a businessman from Osun State, had continued to carry on illegal mining activities, using police men and soldiers as security cover.
Deji Enisenyin of Deji Enisenyin and Co, while speaking with our correspondent noted that the solicitor of the Ilate-Etido Community, disclosed that a series of petitions had been written to the relevant authorities and security agencies, to call their attention to the activities of the illegal miners.
According to Enisenyin, a petition dated May 3, 2024 was written on the matter to the office of the Federal Mines Officer, Federal Secretariat, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, as well as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
He noted that another petition was written to the State Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Ogun State Command, on April 22, 2024, to call the attention of the Command to the illegal activities of the miners.
Enisenyin, however, said that the NSCDC operatives earlier deployed to the community to effect arrest were repelled by the miners, with the help of the soldiers and policemen engaged by the mining company.
He said that a letter of Appeal for Intervention in the matter was written to the Brigade Commander of 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala on May 10, 2024, leading to the eventual arrest of the illegal miners and removal of the soldiers shielding them.
He noted that engaging in illegal mining or dredging, apart from posing serious environmental hazards to the host communities, is a serious crime which is frowned upon by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Enisenyin stated that the soldiers were later discovered to be on “illegal duty”, while the policemen were illegally drawn from state commands such as Cross River and Plateau States by the mining company.
Reacting to the development while speaking on the phone with our correspondent, on Thursday, the Community Head of Ilate-Etido Community, Ajibawo said the community will now experience relief with the arrest of the illegal miners, who according to him have engaged in unauthorized activities.
“I have personally written a series of letters to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals, Cadastral Mining office, Office of the General of Police, Chief of Naval Staff and Ministry of Mines, Ogun State over the activities of the illegal miners.
“I also discovered when I went to Abuja that the company’s operating licence had been revoked, but the promoter of the company refused to leave the community, boasting that he had acquired all the land in Ilate Etido and that the indigenes should vacate the land for him. But, with the arrest and facing prosecution, our community cannot breathe and the people will be free from intimidation by the mining company operating there illegally,” Ajibawo stated.
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