Illegal Mining: Military, Police not involved- CDS, IGP tell Reps

…Say ‘We don’t provide security for miners’

By Tom Okpe

The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen Christopher Musa, has denied that members of the Armed Forces provide security for illegal mining sites and miners in the country.

Also denying the allegation was the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, who said his men do not provide security for illegal miners in the country.

These developments came as both senior officers of the nation’s high security bodies, appeared at the House of Representatives Committee on Mineral Resources, during its Public Hearing at the National Assembly, Abuja on Thursday.

Responding to the Committee Chairman, Jonathan Gaza’s query, with stakeholders that the Nigeria Military and the Police hierarchy were providing security for illegal miners, the CDS, Musa who was represented by the Director of Operations, Defence Headquarters, AVM Nnaemeka Ilo, said they only provide protection for legitimate requests, made by legitimate miners, who operate in conflict inflicted areas.

He said: “The Armed Forces of Nigeria is ever ready to give all necessary support, needed to stop this illegal mining.

“It is not our primary duty, but part of our responsibility as the constitution stated that whenever the civil authority task us to do, we have no obligation than to do it.

“So, we are here to say, we are ready to support all agencies, involved in stopping illegal mining, including the civil defence, police and the Ministry’s involved.

“Now to the question that you asked if the military is protecting any minefield or illegal miners. Most of the time, you find out that from reports reaching us from reliable sources that the military and police, provide protection for illegal miners.

“I want to state categorically clear that it is not true. If there is any such allegations, please we would want to know which of the mines or who brought the allegations, so that we would take it up from there.

“If there is any such allegation, we want to know who brought that up, but as it is, that is pure lies.

“Legitimate requests are made for the military to give protection to legitimate miners that licence have been issued to in conflict inflicted areas. Once we get such requests, what we normally do is, we would write to the Ministry of Mines.

“We direct them to their letter to the Ministry of Mines. So if the Ministry of Mines requests us because of the nature of the environment, we sometimes, give protection to those people licensed by the Government to carry out mining activities from the Ministry of Mines, based on requests from the Ministry.”

Also, the IGP, represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Ademola Hamzat, said no responsible organisation paid by the public would do anything that would be against the wish of the people.

“The Police, yes, we give guards to some individuals, who we can establish, are under serious threat, especially in terrorism inflicted areas. But from my own office, there is nothing to show that we protect any illegal mining site. We don’t do that.

“We have a procedure to even grant whoever we are going to guard. The procedure is, we should know what you do for a living first and you must be able to establish to us what are the reasons you want personal guard, because, the Police is supposed to provide general service to the people,” he said.

The Committee Chairman, however, said Nigerians need to know that efforts are ongoing, to nip all problems in the bud.