Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has exposed those behind the series of bandit attacks in some parts of the country.

According to him, banditry and kidnappings associated with parts of the country were being sponsored by powerful Nigerians engaged in acts of illegal mining in the country.

Alake disclosed this on Tuesday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals to defend the Ministry’s 2024 budget estimate.

The minister said those he described as “heavy and powerful Nigerians” were actually the ones behind the insecurity in areas of the country with solid mineral deposits.

He said the government was identifying those individuals and will take appropriate action against them as part of efforts to ensure that the areas are secured for investors who have shown interest in investing in the solid minerals sector in the country.

He said: “One discovery that we have made is that a lot of these insecurities and banditry associated with this sector are sponsored by illegal miners.

“These are not your artisan miners. They are not the people who pick gold on the ground. These are heavy and powerful individuals in our country. They are Nigerians and not foreigners.

Abbeggiii carry story dress far.

dododawa1:
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has exposed those behind the series of bandit attacks in some parts of the country.

According to him, banditry and kidnappings associated with parts of the country were being sponsored by powerful Nigerians engaged in acts of illegal mining in the country.

Alake disclosed this on Tuesday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals to defend the Ministry’s 2024 budget estimate.

The minister said those he described as “heavy and powerful Nigerians” were actually the ones behind the insecurity in areas of the country with solid mineral deposits.

He said the government was identifying those individuals and will take appropriate action against them as part of efforts to ensure that the areas are secured for investors who have shown interest in investing in the solid minerals sector in the country.

He said: “One discovery that we have made is that a lot of these insecurities and banditry associated with this sector are sponsored by illegal miners.

“These are not your artisan miners. They are not the people who pick gold on the ground. These are heavy and powerful individuals in our country. They are Nigerians and not foreigners.

Nothing surprising about this revelation.... The people we've come to know as bandits in the northwest started their craft as foot soldiers of very powerful gold mining cartels in Zamfara.

As is usually the case, when cartel bosses fail to treat the soldiers right, there'd be heavily armed breakaway factions.