Benue halts illegal mining operations

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

The governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has commanded that all illicit mining operations in various areas of the state be immediately halted.

In response to illegal gold mining in the area, the governor issued the directive yesterday at an emergency security interface with stakeholders at the Benue Peoples House in Makurdi.

Ortom cautioned that, if left unchecked, illegal mining poses security and environmental dangers to not only Kwande LGA but the entire state.

He then withdrew the privileges that several localities in Benue State had awarded mining gangsters, issuing a warning that anyone found engaging in or ceasing unlawful mining activities would face legal repercussions.

The governor emphasized that due process must be followed when conducting mining, even though mining is on the federal government’s exclusive list of permitted activities. The governor holds the lands where mining would take place in trust for the state’s residents.

In order to prevent the entrance of criminal elements, the governor declared that potential licensed miners would be sufficiently profiled before being allowed to engage in any mining operation in the state.

He commended Hon. Orjiir Gbande, the chairman of the Kwande Local Government Area, for being vigilant and alerting him to the security and environmental risks posed by illegal mining operations in the Turan and Kyurav axis of the LGA.

The governor also warned local traditional leaders against giving prospective miners unauthorized access to land, emphasizing that only the state government had the authority to permit such use.

Ortom also exhorted the elites to get involved and educate their communities about the hazards of allowing unauthorized individuals access for the purpose of mining.

Gabriel Suswam, a senator from Benue’s North-East senatorial district who was present at the meeting, urged the people of Benue to work together to address the state’s security issues.

Suswam also made a similar appeal to traditional leaders, particularly those in the Kwande LGA, pleading with them to practice security awareness in order to avoid harboring criminals who would enter their villages and utilize the rich natural wealth.

He urged Kwande aristocracy in particular to

also educate their people on the drawbacks of granting strangers unrestricted access to their communities.

However, in his remarks, the Chairman of Kwande LGA, Hon. Orjiir Gbande, vowed to make sure that his people heed the governor’s warning about the problem of illegal mining.