The Gombe State Government has declared an end to illegal mining of mineral resources of all kinds across the state.
The declaration was made on Wednesday by the Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, Sanusi Ahmed Maidala.
The declaration came after an unscheduled tour of some mining sites carried out in the Akko local government area of the state.
The commissioner, along with a delegation comprising representatives from Akko local government, security agencies, federal government representatives, and community leaders, emphasized that no illegal mining will be tolerated in Gombe and warned that strict action would be implemented against those who will get caught engaging in unauthorized mining.
He further stated that Gombe is going to welcome potential investments in the mining industry by mentioning the abundance of mineral resources, including Gypsum, Limestone, Coal, and Granite.
Commissioner Maidala assured full support to the potential investors, citing Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to creating job opportunities for the youth and enhancing the state’s economy through the mining sector.
Illegal mining has been a top concern of the Gombe legislation.
Illegal mining causes many dangers like soil erosion, deforestation, water pollution and other environmental degradation.
Last week, three individuals were arrested while operating illegal mining at a site by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Akko local government area.
They were caught excavating with their machine, and they said that the land was their own property and they had full authority to do what they were doing, but after a thorough inspection of the documents, the NSCDC discovered that they had approval for laterite sand which they abandoned for mining coal.
Before all this, two major committees, the Mineral Resources and Environment Management Committee (MREMCO) and Special Surveillance Taskforce ( SMSTF), were set up by Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s administration.
MREMCO’s job was to advise ministers and governmental areas and communities about environmental pollution and its prevention and check the mining grants of the mining companies.
Whereas the job of SMSTF was to control the export of mineral commodities, carry out unscheduled visits at mining sites and arrest illegal mining operators.
