THE Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has directed the sealing of a mining site in Gwagwalada Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, the minister took the decision following reports of illegal gold mining at the site and to mitigate potential environmental hazards.
The ministry said the action came in the wake of an earlier operation by the mining marshals, which led to the successful recovery and sealing of a mining site around the District 2 Extension layout in Gwagwalada on August 16, where 16 suspects were arrested and would be prosecuted soon.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that illegal artisanal miners invaded the area after the accidental discovery of a gold vein during the digging of a soakaway pit near a residential property.
“The most recent incident took place on a farmland located behind CKC in Gwagwalada. Upon receiving intelligence reports of renewed unlawful mining activity, Alake promptly ordered the deployment of mining marshals to secure the site,” the ministry stated.
The ministry said officials, led by the Director of Mines Inspectorate and represented by the Deputy Director, Sunday Okhuoya, carried out an on-the-spot assessment of the area on Wednesday.
It expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with the minister’s directive and disclosed that relevant departments of the ministry had launched a thorough investigation to determine the root of the incidents, while also recommending measures to prevent a recurrence.
Similarly, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) John Attah Onoja, confirmed that his team had established 24-hour surveillance over both sites, pending the outcome of the Federal Government’s ongoing inquiry.
In view of the potential environmental and public health risks associated with the illegal mining operations, the minister advised residents to steer clear of the affected areas while enforcement and remediation efforts are underway.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to eradicate illegal mining activities across the country, adding that his ministry was fast-tracking the deployment of satellite surveillance technology to monitor mining operations nationwide and significantly strengthen enforcement capacity.
In 2021, The ICIR, in an investigation, exposed how illegal gold mining thrived in Kundu, a remote community in the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The investigation revealed that thousands of miners, many of them from Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria, had taken over the area without licence, leaving residents to grapple with environmental degradation, polluted water sources, and declining farmland.
Despite the revelations and President Muhammadu Buhari’s public admission in 2020 that Nigeria was losing billions of dollars to illegal mining, his administration failed to act decisively.
Instead, government officials downplayed the problem, describing the miners’ activities as ‘informal’ rather than illegal. This neglect allowed the practice to flourish unchecked in Abuja and beyond.
The consequence has been the loss of billions of naira in potential revenue for both the FCT and Nigeria. While other countries generate huge earnings from their mining industries, Nigeria continues to make only a fraction of it should earn.
The ongoing seizure of the FCT’s mineral resources through illegal mining highlights how severely the country is bleeding from illegal mining.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance