Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello who is the Niger State Governor has given out a directive that orders the immediate suspension of all the mining activities in Shiroro, Munya and Rafi Local Government Areas of Niger state.
The order, the Governor had reiterated had also became necessary following continued bandits’ attacks on the councils until further notice.
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Africa Daily News, New York has also recalled that some of the bandits attacked a mining site in Ajata Aboki Village in Shiroro LG last Wednesday that resulted in the killing of about 48 persons, including soldiers, mobile police and civilians.
Many sustained various degrees of injuries and several others were kidnapped in the area. This was contained in a statement issued by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane in Minna.
The SSG said the decision to suspend activities became necessary as a result of escalating insecurity in those areas in recent times.
“It is observed that these mining sites now attract or even accommodate criminals with prospective threats to security of lives and property, ”the statement argued.
He had also warned that any mining operator caught engaging in mining activities in the areas mentioned would face the full wrath of the law.
“The State Government has directed security agencies in the state to profile all mining sites in the affected local governments with a view to ascertaining their genuineness.”
Matane also assured the people of the state that the government would not scale down pressure on the armed bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements until they were flushed out of the state. The statement further urged the people of the state to be security conscious and report all suspicious characters, movements, or objects in their communities to security agents.
