Powerful Nigerians Behind Illegal Mining, Banditry – Alake

The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, has said powerful Nigerians are responsible for illegal mining and banditry in the country.

Alake stated this on Monday when he led a Federal Government delegation to pay a condolence visit to the Oyo State Government over last Tuesday’s explosion at Bodija estate in Ibadan.

The minister stated that his life is being threatened, adding that the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, is committed to ending illegal mining in the country’s mining sector.

He said: “If you follow my budget defence at the House of Representatives or Senate, I did say categorically to the whole world that powerful Nigerians are behind the banditry associated with illegal miners in this country.

” I said it openly, of course, I received threats, but we are undaunted because these things have to be said, and in any case, I wasn’t saying anything new, most people knew it.

“Many people have been saying it, I only gave it an official stamp, based on intelligence reports. So, there is a lot of connivance along and among the strata of the society, both high, medium and low.

“It is not an exclusive preserve of just a high hut. It cuts across the strata of the society. So, this is a societal problem, and I did say at that meeting at the budgetary defence that we were employing both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies and tactics to combine all of these. The details I won’t be able to reveal publicly now because that will also be un-strategic.”

Alake disclosed that the federal government would await the final report of the forensic investigations into the causes, effects and possible remedy to the Bodija estate explosion.

The minister, however, said it was going to be after this that the government would make critical decisions on the unfortunate incident.

He said: “It would be presumptuous for the Federal Government to take any solid pronouncement or categorical announcement now.

“We will examine all the forensic analysis reports and all the investigations from all the agencies and various intelligence arms of the security agencies.

“They are all working round the clock to provide an authentic and viable forensic report to the Federal Government.

“When the reports are ready, the Federal Government will be on a solid platform to make an informed judgment and a categorical statement.

“The final forensic report will also help the Federal Government in taking appropriate decisions concerning the victims of this ugly incident. Anything before then will be presumptuous and can be misleading at the end of the day.”

The minister urged Nigerians to be conscious and always report suspicious movements and businesses in their environment, noting that failure to report early always leads to negative results.

He added: “We need to be safety-conscious and develop the attitude of reporting atrocious activities in our neighbourhood.

“For example, no one will expect that such deadly explosives could be stored in an elite estate like this without suspicion.”