Lagos Begins Crackdown on Illegal Miners

By Dipo Olowookere

Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, has embarked on the arrest of illegal miners towards curbing the nefarious activities of unscrupulous elements in the mining sector.

Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Olawale Oluwo, while speaking on the heels of the commencement of taskforce operations at illegal mining sites in Epe, said henceforth, any recalcitrant miner or land grabbers will be dealt with accordingly.

The Commissioner explained that despite series of warnings and enlightenment on dangers of illegal mining, including series of meetings with miners and signing of Memorandum of Understanding towards ensuring strict adherence to guidelines, activities of illegal miners remain unabated.

He warned that “enough is enough as anyone caught henceforth will be punished accordingly if only to deter others”.

The task force team embarked on a surprise raid to the illegal mining site in Epe where their materials were confiscated.

In a related development, the state government is intensifying efforts on geological mapping of the State for the discovery of more solid minerals following earlier mapping that resulted in the large discovery of special clay for production of ceramics in Badagry.

The Commissioner stated that the government intends to develop the ceramic industry to create jobs and further enhance the revenue generation avenues available to the state.