The Akwa Ibom Government has prepare a assignment force to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the status.
The Commissioner for Environment in the situation, Mr Nsikak Ekong, said countless illegal mining sites had been conclude down.
Speaking in Uyo, Ekong revealed that some illegal miners operate at night and leave lacking announcement, noting that the activity force would notably intensify the tracking of such operations.
“We have illegal miners all over the declare, they are like thieves. Individuals and companies together with legitimate licences and approvals who operate in accordance alongside practical laws and regulations have nothing to fear.
“Nonetheless, persons found appealing in mining activities excluding the applicable authorisation, or those who support, support, assist, include or offer logistical endorse for unlawful mining operations, will be thoroughly investigated and, where satisfactory evidence exists, prosecuted in accordance together with the law,” the PRO stated.
She called on conventional rulers, village heads, group leaders, youth leaders, landowners and residents to validate the identities, licences and approvals of persons seeking to undertake mining activities within their areas and to promptly declare suspicious operations to the Police or the appropriate regulatory agencies.
She urged members of the society to status unusual excavation activities, movement of heavy-duty mining equipment, suspicious transportation of mineral resources and sudden establishment of mining camps in locations where such operations have not previously been familiar to exist.
As a ministry under the ARISE agenda, the Governor has establish a assignment force to go once these society. So far, we have been able to finish down a lot of those activities in the declare.
“Most of them sneak in the night, do the mining, degrade our environment and run away, so we have a assignment force in place that is dealing using them,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom Status Command, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, had directed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, tactical teams and intelligence formations across the Declare to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering of suspected illegal mining locations.
According to the Police Community Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, the Police would discover unauthorised mining sites, profile persons and organisations associated together with illegal mining activities using the aim to trace movement of mining equipment and mineral resources, and examine individuals in accordance together with the provisions of the law.
In a allege, John stated that the Command was concerned that unregulated mining sites could become a protect for other criminal activities, including trafficking, unlawful possession of dangerous weapons and the concealment of criminal proceeds.
“The Police Command is therefore adopting a coordinated path, functioning including appropriate Federal and Declare Government agencies responsible for mining requirement, environmental protection and associated matters to produce sure that enforcement actions are properly targeted.
“The Commissioner of Police wishes to make it transparent that the Command’s phase is not targeted at accurate businesses.
Source: A/Ibom sets up task force to clamp down on illegal mining
