......says mines, minerals still on Exclusive List

The Federal Government and its agencies, over the weekend, mounted fresh pressure on the government of Osun State to hand over 27 persons caught in illegal mining of gold and have been in the custody of the state in the last three weeks.

The pressure is coming on the premise that the Osun State Government has no power to detain any illegal miner, as no law in Nigeria donates such power to them under the 1999 Constitution.

The illegal miners, which included 17 Chinese nationals were apprehended in the gold fields of Osun State on May 3, 2020 and detained by the authorities of that state. However, the Federal Government has insisted that it was illegal for Osun State to handle the investigation of the suspects or their prosecution.

Director General, Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Dr Abdulrazaq Garba, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, observed that incidents of illegal mining, especially by foreign nationals has been condoned for too long in Nigeria and there was the need for the operators in the mining sector to play by game by the rule.

Garba lamented that lot of revenue has been lost by government through these illegal activities which has also resulted in a high level of environmental devastation and health hazards in the mining communities.

He said while the arrest of the illegal miners was a step in the right direction, Osun State government ought to hand them over to the Federal Government for prosecution as prescribed by the laws of Nigeria.

“If these foreign nationals are found to have contravened our laws, they must face the full wrath of law. Don’t forget illegal mining and export of our minerals is an offence; so also is entry and staying in the country illegally. The laws of the land must be allowed to take its course.”

“Ordinarily, if an illegal miner is arrested by the state government, such a miner ought to be handed over to the Federal Government for prosecution in line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 (Chapter 5 – Offences and Penalties) and the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations (Section 20 – Sanctions).

“Mining can only take place with Federal Permit and permits are obtained after fulfilling the necessary terms.”

Director General, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Engr Obadiah Nkom, who also corroborated the position of the NGSA, argued that the 1999 Nigeria Constitution, placed Mines and Minerals under the Exclusive legislative list while the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and its Regulations spells out its operation.

https://www.newtelegraphng.com/illegal-mining-fg-mounts-pressure-on-osun-to-surrender-17-chinese/

Sounds like a Joke. But Unfortunately it's not a movie script

Abeg joor I will Design a Professional Logo for your Product or Services for 2k Only. Offer valid Today Only. Please see my signature.

The chinks are always in the news for wrong reasons.
> Illegal Entry;
> Illegal Staying; and
> Illegal Mining.

FG is suddenly interested, what do they expect when lawlessness is the order of the day in Nigeria

"If you call your calabash; a worthless calabash, other people will use it to pack rubbish."

Ok

Why is FG so interested?

There is no crime committed in Nigeria by a foreigner that doesn't have the support of a godfather..... That's just the bitter truth

WE ARE DONE!!!!


SECURE THE FUTURE OF YOUR KIDS NOW!!!

Osun state has gold too


SW leaders should wake up before Fulani and Chinese take over their land!!!

Looks like staffs of "CCECC "

State governments are toothless in Nigeria. That's why I love the US, u would see governors standing their ground against federal order.

DanseMacabre:
Osun state has gold too

Gold in Ilesha osun state is more than SA gold

Hmmm

Law is the law.

“Ordinarily, if an illegal miner is arrested by the
state government, such a miner ought to be handed
over to the Federal Government for prosecution in
line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 (Chapter
5 – Offences and Penalties) and the Nigerian
Minerals and Mining Regulations (Section 20 –
Sanctions).

When the south western states wanted to create Amotekun, The NYC along with Northern protectorate not excluding the Mayetti Allah cried all days to pressure the FG disbanded or disallowed this security outfit from seeing the light of the day.

Now, the Amotekun the AGMJ wanted to deny its operation in conjunction with other joint task force nabbed these illegal miners and they now want to quote laws in other to get their own share from the illegal miners.

Where were the so called security outfits all these while where these criminals have been operating for many years now?

This government can't pretend they are unaware of many illegal immigrants and miners in the country. Shame!

Coded matters

My worry in all of these is that from one administration to another, Nigeria solid materials remain legally unmined but illegally mined. Why?

Fulani will always be fulani

they always believe they can command any body as far they are in power

Tueh for them

Amotekun have started making arrests.
Federal government doing all it can to show who has power over governors from Osun state to Rivers etc

mystery22:
Yoruba slaves Better obey your masters before they burn osun state to the ground...weakling set of people...

Pls are you igbo?

Just asking, having tried to relate your comment with the topic but to no avail?

Rubbish

Just imagine...

Same Chinese that are attacking black people in China. How do they see us?

No way. So that our minister of solid minerals would tell them to pay a fine of 1 million naira before releasing them like they imposed such a ridiculous fine on the UK airline that operated unauthorized commercial flights into Nigeria? Again, no "bleeping" way!

Professor Agboola Gambari, if you are reading this, PLEASE it is time to advise President Buhari to allow states control their resources and prosecute the criminals in their domains. Better still, it is time to discuss the vexed matter of how to effectively govern Nigeria and the powers appertaining to states/regions, certain rights must be taken from the FG and devolved to the states. Nigeria is too BIG and heterogeneous to be centrally policed and the diabolic constitution does not allow states to prosecute certain crimes that happened in their domain. Does that even make sense?

We are well aware that the Chinese Embassy is mounting pressure on the Presidency to release those criminals. Rudderlessly, our President is keen to release them because he has mortgaged our future and dignity as a nation by borrowing irresponsibly from China. Why do we submit our rights as a nation to our creditors?

We must demonstrate that we are putting our citizens first before any nation. The Chinese must be prosecuted and the company that they represent must be fined for illegal mining, pollution of freshwater supply to the folks where these activities took place and destruction of their lands.

I am not from Osun State, but the news of Chinese illegally mining gold traumatised me. How long had they been doing this before they were caught? Who permitted them? What gave them the rights to do such? What is wrong with us as a people? Can any Nigerian commit such a crime in China and be alive to explain his side of the story? Let us make them an example. You can't enter my house, destroy things and say I should not get angry. Where then is my dignity as a man?

Enough is enough.

why will they be stealing solid minerals? can a Nigerian try it in China

I don't have anything to say

Yoruba

Something we can’t try in their own nation, I swear Nigeria ehn we Overlook a lot of crap, I don’t blame sha I blame the officials that must have granted them safe passage to wherever it is they are doing the illegal mining

It's well..

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