Illegal Minning Activities: Create a Solid Mineral Judicial Compliance Tribunal to Try Offenders – Mallam A. M. Abdullahi Urges Fed Govt

 

“I believe that the pattern of the upsurge in mob criminal banditry and lawless activism in Nigeria is at the level of impunities reminiscent of pre-colonial siege mentality doctrine in Apartheid South Africa, especially in Soweto where the laws of might were right and then seen to be officially identified as the order of the day”

PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | JULY 18, 2024

Nigeria is reported to be losing over nine billion dollars ($9billion) yearly to illegal mining activities. Virtually every part of the country is affected by this problem of illegal mining with huge mineral resources being siphoned out of the country on daily basis at a time the country is facing serious economic challenges.

In this short interview with a media guru and pro-Talakawa chieftain of the APC and a community leader, Mallam Abdulkarim Muhammad Abdullahi who has been actively involved in the fight against the nefarious mining activities in his own Community of Kokona and the Keffi Local Government Areas and environs, he shared his experience with Pegasus Reporters on what can be done to address the problem. He bared his mind on the gory stories of communities under the siege of exploitive mining activities and what government must urgently do to restor sanity to the sector. He spoke with our North Central Bureau Chief, Mallam Gambo Hamza.

Question: The problem of illegal mining activities across the country seems to defy any meaningful solution. What do you think is responsible for this?

Answer: Thank you for that question. Without mincing words, I want to tell you categorically that the war against illegal mining activities in Nigeria is not going to be an easy walkover battle between government and the illegal miners because the manipulative influences of the external forces are beyond the simplistic scope and capacity of our weak and ordinary communal structures.

Let’s start with Zamfara State, as a case study reference point. There’s no way the poor masses in Zamfara State, of any state for that matter in Nigeria, where the looting elite cabals and voluptuous team players have hijacked the entire system of leadership, arbitrarily, without conscience, or considering the legitimate rights of the poor population density, as in the ownership rights of their ancestral lands can deal with the problem. Unfortunately, again, by virtue of Islamic theological jurisprudence, Islamic laws are now more or less, used as mere token gesture in these shameless pro-Western occultic-societies, controlled by untouchable fat cats who believe in promoting national false pretenses culled from the constitution over Islamic Ordinances and rules of Inheritances.

That is why, those who are familiar with what is happening in Zamfara State today, compare it to the orgy of lawless bestiality reminiscent of the highlights of the American classic film genre called the Westerns, which popularity reached its peak in Hollywood Studio during the period called, “Gold Rush” in the Wild- Wild West”. This was when the vast and gold and mineral fortune-laden California mountains became the overnight powerhouse of global greed and American Capitalist destination of brute force and jungle justice. Whereas, as the saying figuratively and metaphorically goes, its was Dog eats Dog” situation! Infact, it’s not an exaggeration to compare the level of criminal banditry and lawless activities in today’s Zamfara State with the American Wild West, during the period of Gold Rush.

I believe that the pattern of upsurge in mob criminal banditry and lawless activism in Nigeria is at the level of impunities reminiscent of pre-colonial siege mentality doctrine in Apartheid South Africa, especially in Soweto where the laws of might were right and then seen to be officially identified as the order of the day. It was a time where deviant illegal miners, mix with consortia of underground networks of Drug Cartels, tagged grumpiest. Well, if you doubt my mind boggling account of the satanic mindset and lawless banditry and what I call Zamfaranization, plus a sizeable Sowetonization expose, that have become, more less synonymous with the daily routines of the lawless lives of the hitherto, peaceful part of the rural agricultural belt of Northern Nigeria, including my local village community of Unguwar Doka, Jamaan Alu, Jaman Gayam, Angwan Baso, Angwan Abeshi, Angwan Malam, Saura, Dokan Daji, Shabu, Bakin Ayini, Amba, etcetera that are now fully invaded by the escaping bandits and renegades from Zamfara State and Borno State’s Boko Haram Sambisa hide outs and forests, now recruited by local touts and illegal chiefs, controlled by untouchable illegal miners who aided and abetted by notorious looters and predatory bourgeoisie fat cats, you won’t wonder who authorized the forcible confiscation of peasant farms, under a new form of slavery dictat unknown to history.

As I share my views with you, many parts of the North, especially, my Kokona Local Government Area is under siege, which I bet our rural peasant farmers-friendly Governor is completely foreclosed from knowing the truth by coteries of sabotaging conspirators and political elites, whose sense of civic responsibility and corrupt cover-ups infamy should disqualify them from holding any public office of trusts.

It’s been undeniably reported that, many atimes, some political opportunists are known to have been permanent collaboraters but silent beneficiaries of the economic misfortunes affecting the the local community. It’s on records that, more than twenty (20) children lost their lives without compensation or legal protection against the illegal mining company or Cartels.

Infact, a victim of the illegal mining company, named Abdulkarim Salihu, who fell down into the bottomless and unregulated open cast mining pits that litter all over the village, with uncovered ponds almost lost his life. He;s been left to fate, bedridden for over 6 years now without anything as conditional circumstances assistance and its a pity that the inspection team from the ministry of Solid Minerals, may have been settled and compromised, after misguidedly conniving with the thieving local community cliques.

However, I can vouch for my ” Agaba Egbon brother”, the late Abaga of Toni, Dr. Sylvester Oho Ayih, as well as the former Governor Abdullahi Adamu, Turakin Keffi and the founding father of the state,as well as his successors, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma; Alhaji Tanko Almakura and the incubent Governor Engineer Abdullahi A.A Sule, along with the serving Abaga of Toni who have been completely blocked and foreclosed from getting to know the secret intrigues about these illegal mining attrocities.

My final advice and recommendation on these illegal mining attrocities is that:
(1) The Federal Government, should as a matter of great national interest and concern for the local peasant masses, cancel all existing lease and investigate the undeniable evidences of illegal and corrupt cover-ups manipulations of the lease agreements which, in many cases, was alleged to have been made, arbitrarily under suspicious complicity. The government Should investigate the death and fatality status records and demand to know the level of compensations to all the victims.

(2) Govt should forensicly audit and investigative and estimate the volumes of minerals escarvated, and what is the community share and for how long, with the list of beneficies. The Government should endeavor to carry out a comprehensive survey of the mining sites and identify the legitimate rights owners, based on ancestral affinity and family members who are Bonafide heirs and because of the high level of ignorance and illiteracy, each family members or clans can secure the service of competent legal advisers/counsels to guide them to achieve their legitimate rights.

(3) Finally, the Federal Government is hereby requested to establish a Solid Minerals Judicial Compliance Tribunal to try all offenders, including virtually all the past ministers of solid minerals ministry from take-off to date, because, they were responsible for undermining and hindering the socio-economic growth and development of the Nigerian mining sector through corrosive corruption and scandalous kleptomania which competes favourably with their unrepentant criminal oil bunkering bandits in the petroleum, oil and gas subsector.

(4) Those found guilty should have all their disreputable corrupt acquisitions confiscated and perhaps for those kleptomanic ex-ministers, honorables and heavy duty thieves, we may use the Chinese approach to bid them goodbye from this world, to reduce the population density of corrupt practioners in our country.

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