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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has revealed that his ministry was engaging the military to tackle bandits involved in illegal mining across the country.
The minister made this disclosure while addressing newsmen at last Tuesday’s explosion site in Bodija, Ibadan,Oyo State, on Monday.
Alake, who was accompanied by the Chief Medical Director of University College Hospital (UCH), Prof Jesse Otegbayo, and some aides, said the military was being engaged because the bandits were in possession of sophisticated weapons and ammunition.
The minister, who expressed surprise that heavy explosives could be stored in such a neighbourhood without any suspicion or report to security agencies, urged Nigerians to be watchful and report suspicious activities in their neighbourhood to security agencies.
On steps being taken to tackle inscurity at mining sites, the minister explained that citizens should be aware that bandits around mining sites are being sponsored by powerful Nigerians, adding that he has been receiving threat messages since he made the announcement official. He, however, said he remains undaunted.
He further explained that the bandits were in possession of sophisticated weapons and ammunition because they are being sponsored, stressing that it was the reason he has started engaging the military.
“We’ve been working with the security agencies even before this unfortunate incident. Only last week, the president set up a committee on our natural resources, which I am chairing and we held a maiden meeting in my office, which was one of the reasons I was not here that very day because it was after Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. That committee was raised and we moved to my office and started work. We are having another expanded meeting in few days’ time with all the security agencies and heads of the security agencies involved. Prior to all of these, we had been mapping out strategies. It is also part of my seven-point agenda which I rolled out a couple of months ago about securing our natural resources, especially that which is within my purview, which is solid minerals. If you followed my budget defence a the House of Representatives or Senate, I did say categorically to the whole world that powerful Nigerians are behind banditry associated with illegal mining in this country. I said it openly. Of course, I’ve since received threats but we are undaunted because these things have to be said. In any case, I wasn’t saying anything new. Most people knew, most people are saying it, I only gave it an official stamp and it is based on intelligence report. There is a lot of connivance along and among the social strata in the society- high, medium and low. And I did say at the budgetary defence that we are employing both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies and tactics to tackle insecurity. The details, I won’t be able to disclose to you publicly. The Federal Government is working in concert with all the critical stakeholders- state, local government and host communities. This is because at the end of the day, whatever security outfit you come up with would have to involve the host communities, people on ground who have very efficient knowledge of the local terrain. You can not do without them.
“And one of the things that happen now, even in the forest, unknown to many people, is that these bandits being sponsored by highly placed people have access to heavy funding and they have heavy arsenal, weaponry, arms and ammunition. They even lay mines on ground against our ground forces that are moving into the forest to dislodge them. That is why we required the engagement of the military. That’s why I have been meeting with the Minister of Defence and we mapped out all the strategies so that the military will go into the forest and clear them and the mines before the new security outfit we are rejigging at the moment comes to the fore,” he said.
The minister also said that Federal Government is waiting for the comprehensive report of experts to be well informed on the actions to take on the Ibadan explosion.
“FG is awaiting the final report of the forensic information that is going on. It would be presumptuous and preciptate for the Federal Goverment to make any solid or categorical pronouncement on this until we have examined all the forensic analysis report. All the investigations from all the agencies- security agencies, Mines Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the various intelligence arms of the security agencies.
“The agencies are all working round the clock to ensure that there is an authentic and verifiable forensic report to the Federal Government. Then Federal Government will be on a solid platform to make an informed judgement and a categorical statement. Anything before then would be presumptuous, preciptate and could be misleading at the end of the day,” he said.