By Ken Afor
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, has claimed that he has been receiving life-threatening messages following his remarks on how some powerful Nigerians are funding banditry associated with illegal mining in the country.
Mr. Alake made this known on Monday during an assessment visit to Bodija in Ibadan, Oyo State, to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the explosion that rocked the city, resulting in the death of five people and the destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
According to the Minister, the threats followed his statement at the National Assembly regarding the involvement of powerful and highly-placed Nigerians in illegal mining.
He said, “I said it during my Ministry’s budget defence at the National Assembly that powerful Nigerians are behind the banditry associated with illegal minings in the country.
“I said it openly. However, since I made the disclosure, I have been receiving threats but we are undaunted because it has to be said.
“In any case, I was not saying anything new. Most people knew it. Most people have been saying it. I only gave it an official stamp based on the intelligence report.
“There is a lot of connivance among the strata of the society, both the high, medium and low. It is not an exclusive preserve of just the high up.”
To mitigate the spate of illegal mining in the country, the Minister disclosed that the federal government is employing both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies and tactics.
He added that the government is in contact with key stakeholders at the state, local government, and host communities to halt illegal mining.
He emphasized the involvement of the host communities, “because at the end of the day, whatever security strategy that we come up with, we have to involve the host communities, the people on the ground who have efficient knowledge of the local terrain, we cannot do without them.
“One of the things that happen now even in the forest that is unknown to many people is that the bandits who are being sponsored by the highly placed Nigerians have access to funding and a heavy arsenal.
“They even laid mines on the ground against our ground forces that are moving in the forest to dislodge. That is why we require the presence, involvement and engagement of the military,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister, who criticized the stockpiling of explosives in a residential area, stated that it is too early to make a categorical statement while investigations are still ongoing.
“It will be presumptuous and precipitous for the Federal government to make any solid pronouncement or categorical statement on this incident until we have examined all the forensic analysis reports, the investigations from the various security agencies and the Mines Inspectorate division of the Ministry of Solid Minerals.”
He, however, assured that no one would be spared, irrespective of how highly placed in society.
