The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says it is on the trail of illegal miners in Borno who have been defying the ban on mining activities in the state.
The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Farouq Musa-Boyi, made this known in an interview on Saturday in Maiduguri.
He said most of the illegal activity occurs in the Bayo Local Government Area of the state, where the unregistered artisans have caused environmental damage, especially in Wuyo, Jaradali, and Balbaya villages.
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“There are several minerals in Borno which include Feldspar, Limestone, Kaolin, Potash, Iron-Ore, Quarts, Magnetite, Diatomite, Trona, Mica, Silica Sand, Gypsum, Granite, Flutters Earth, and Uranium among others.
“As you are aware, the Borno government has banned illegal miners in the state and warned defaulters of dire consequences.
“Despite the ban, these illegal merchants continued to steal these resources with impunity,” he said.
According to him, the NSCDC will clamp down on the defaulters and bring them to justice.
Illegal mining is an activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in the absence of land rights, licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits.
Illegal activity can be a subsistence activity, as is the case with artisanal mining or it can belong to large-scale organized crime, spearheaded by illegal syndicates.
On an international level, approximately 80 percent of small-scale mining operations can be categorized as illegal. Despite strategic developments towards “responsible mining,” even big companies can be involved in illegal mineral digging and extraction, if only on the financing side.
It is the extraction of precious metals without following the proper procedures to participate in legal mining activity. These procedures include permits and licenses for exploration of the land, mining, and transportation, which are not followed.
NAN
