The Paramount Ruler of Agwada Community in Nasarawa State, His Royal Highness Abubakar Obagu, has called for the removal of the Commander of the Mining Marshal, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), ACC Attah Onoja, and his team from the community.
The traditional ruler made the call, while addressing his people, who came to express their grievances, in his palace on Monday, over activities of illegal miners in the community
He said the call for their removal was necessary, alleging that they were not doing enough to stop the illegal mining activities and destruction of lives in the area.
Obagu alleged that the illegal mining activities in in Rafin Gabbas, an area in the community had become a menace to his people as they could not go to farm around the mining areas again.
He said, while the community had lost both youths and adults, who died in the mining sites and currently, the mining officials are equally harassing villagers at the mining sites, whenever they passed the areas to go to their farms.
”Our people have suffered greatly since the illegal mining commenced in this community. We have lost loves ones and now, we can not access our farms because we are being arrested and chased our by the mining marshals.
”We are calling for a change of the commander of the mining marshal and his team. Government can deploy mining marshal from Nasarawa State and not impose this team, which are currently here.”
He stated that currently, there are about 50 mining marshals guarding the illegal sites and yet, under aged people are used in the sites for illegal mining at night.
He recalled that he had written to the the Director-General of Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, stating that they did not consent to some companies laying claims to have licenses in Rafin Gabbas.
The companies according to him, include Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited, Nizhong Mining Company Limited, Badger Mines Nigeria Limited and Badger Mines Baba Allen Nigeria Limited.
He had requested the director-general to deny approval of any mineral titles to these companies.
He called on President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the situation and protect the community from further harm.
Danjuma Edekwudu, one of the parents, who lost two children to the illegal mining activities, while speaking with newsmen, called on the Federal Government to come to his aide as he is currently sick and bedridden after the death of his sons.
” I lost my sons, Hassan Danjuma and Odula Danjuma in the illegal mining sites. They were lured to the sites to mining at night and when the soil collapsed, they didn’t survive. I am hopeless and can only hope for government intervention to survive the sickness I am battling now.”
Also, the Secretary of the Mining Community, Eshimutu Ode, stressed the need for the removal of the mining marshals from the community.
He said that hat under their watch, many villagers had died in the mining sites and nobody was saying anything to the families or the community about it.
When contacted the Commander, Mining Marshal, ACC Onoja said as the mining commander, his job was to secure all mining sites.
He said him and his team had deployed professional and international standards to curtail bad activities, which he said were deeply rooted at the mining sites
”This is a public and sensitive issues involving a lot of bad activities going on in the mining sites…I have ensured that the illegal miners are arrested and even prosecuted,” he said.
