Fifty-one suspected illegal miners and three suspected telecommunication mast vandals have been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory.
According to The PUNCH, this was contained in a statement by the command spokesperson, Samuel Idoko.
According to the statement, the NSCDC FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, disclosed that “51 suspects were arrested in the Gwagwalada area of the FCT for engaging in illegal mining activities.”
Odumosu explained that the suspects, all males, had been profiled and had no evidence of a registered company they were operating under as well as no exploration and mining licence.
“All acts of illegal mining encroach on the soil and cause environmental degradation and erosion and that is why most of these areas are no longer useful for agricultural and human activities,” Odumosu added.
“Unquantified amount of substance alleged to be gold dust, pumping hoses, ten litres of fuel, shovels, diggers and head-pan,” the commandant said.
