The Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has launched a total onslaught against the activities of illegal Miners across the state.
The Command has also vowed to go all out to nip in the bud the unwholesome activities of other criminal elements terrorizing the state, warning that the command will make the state inhabitable for them.
In an exclusive interview with journalists in his office in Minna, Thursday,the Niger State Commander of the NSCDC in the state, Comdr. Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, disclosed that on his assumption in office in the past three months operatives of the Miner Marshal squad Of the Command in an operation carried out succeeded in the arrest of seven illegal Miners in one of the mining site in the state.
According to the Commandant,the seven suspected illegal Miners two out of them were Nigerians while the remaining five were aliens from Niger and Cameron stating that after profiling them, it was revealed that they were brought into the mining site by the two Nigerians.
He disclosed that as a result of the increasing activities of illegal Miners across the state, the Commandant General of the Corps Dr. Ahmed Audi created the Anti Miner Squad of the Corps “ to go after the illegal Miners and their criminal activities”
The State Commandant of the NSCDC, noted that with the creation of the Anti Miner Squad in the Command, the squad has recorded major breakthroughs in the arrest and prosecution of illegal Miners and other criminal elements across the state.
Speaking further, Commandant Suberu Siyaka disclosed that already, operatives of the Anti Miner Marshal of the Corps have been deployed to mining sites across the state so as to enforce the Federal Government directives on the protection of Mining sites.
Disclosing that the Command will soon invite the stakeholders and the leadership of Miners Association in the state for a meeting on identifying genuine and registered members of the association,this according to the Commandant will assist his men to work with legitimate Miners in the state.
He called on the state Chapter of the association to partner with the operatives of the Miner Marshal squad of the Command to avoid the infiltration of Criminally minded elements in their midst warning that the Command under his leadership will continue to make the mining sites in the state to be inhabitable for criminal minded elements in the state.
