THE Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested 13 suspected illegal miners operating in Kakafu village in Pategi Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement issued by the state spokesperson of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde, the suspects were arrested on Tuesday during a joint operation by the two agencies.
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The illegal miners were arrested over non-payment of royalties to the Federal Government.
The suspects according to the agency are: Buba Mohammed, Yusuf Umar, Surajo Shehu, Abubakar Abdullahi, Salisu Mohammed, Quadri Sulaiman, Nwafor Chinonso, Abdullahi Isa, Mustapha Mohammed, Buhari Hassan, Basiru Jafaru, Murtala Jafaru and Jafaru Abdullahi.
The EFCC added that “five trucks fully loaded with different brands of solid minerals were recovered from the suspects”.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were not paying royalties to the Federal Government as required by law, according to the statement.
Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in the state, Ayeni Olasunkanmi, disclosed that the arrests followed credible intelligence received by the EFCC over some suspected illegal miners operating in the area.
The NSCDC official disclosed that the suspects would soon be charged to court upon conclusion of the ongoing investigation.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M