Illegal mining digging into Nigeria’s wealth
also found in Dass, Ningi, Tafawa-Balewa and Alkaleri.
The document also showed that Sphalerite (Zinc Ore) is found in Toro, Tafawa Balewa and Alkaleri while Clay is in abundance in Alkaleri, Misau and Gamawa.
Mica is found in Ganjuwa, Toro and Alkaleri, Chalcoprite (Copper Ore) in Ningi and Toro while Potash is present in Itas/Gadau, Giade and Shira.
Alkaleri, Warji, Bogoro, Ningi and Toro have Tantalite in abundance. Alkaleri has abundant Calsite while Zircon is found in Toro and Tafawa-Balewa.
However, illegal mining has always been a great impediment to proper exploitation of these resources for the overall economic benefit of the state.
From Alkaleri to Tafawa-Balewa, Toro to Kirfi and other parts of the state, there are various locations where minerals are being illegally exploited without paying the proper dues to the government leading to loss of massive revenues.
Several such locations deep in the forests have existed for years and continue to thrive due to their difficult terrain and inaccessibility. Thousands of people have been engaging in the dangerous act of searching in holes for precious metals and gem stones that are in high demand.
Toro forest, Lame/Burra forest, Alkaleri, Tafawa-Balewa are the most notable places for illegal mining activities according to findings by our correspondent.
The most common minerals mined in those areas include; lead, zinc, tin, columbite, kaolin and precious stones. These attract a lot of people who sell them to middlemen that serve as proxy to foreigners, mostly Chinese, in Jos, Plateau State.
In Tafawa Balewa Local Government, the miners operate along river banks and dry streams, digging for minerals.
However, in areas like Alkaleri and Toro spend hours digging out crude minerals daily until it is enough to deliver to buyers.
The minerals are sold at almost a quarter of their real value to middlemen who later forward them to the real buyers.
Our correspondent also identified the active connivance of some traditional rulers as a major factor that drives illegal mining activities. It is alleged that they connive with illegal miners for a sizeable share of the proceeds.
“In the past, before the coming of the Chinese, mining was done by the locals who own the land. A local may discover a mineral on his farm and commence work after which he may be paying some amount of money to the local chief. However, with the coming of the Chinese and other individuals who have connections in high places, every other person including people who are not as rich are termed illegal miners even if they have mining licences,” a local source said.
He said the government had created a pool of so-called illegal miners through deliberate policies and an ineffective regulatory system.
He added that most of the people engaged in illegal mining have more knowledge of the terrains and the minerals than those he termed as “so called” experts in the field.
“I can tell you with all sense of confidence, that there is one person I know whose knowledge of the presence of minerals in a place surpasses that of all the experts I came across. The man I am talking about can tell you the possible mineral that might be found in a place by merely looking at the trees and shrubs in the surroundings or after it rains,” he added. He noted that most startling discoveries of minerals were being made by the people who are now being described as illegal miners.
“Instead of the government to educate these people, encourage them to form co-operatives, obtain mining licences and operate within the laws, it prefers to bring in the Chinese who in turn bring their people to displace them. There is no way the government can stop illegal mining unless it takes an honest step to co-opt these people who have gathered enough knowledge beyond even what the government knows,” he said.
The Chairman of Bauchi State Miners Association, Alhaji Bello Inuwa Galoji, said the Chinese engage actively in miming activities in the state but most operate without any valid licence.
“If there is anybody that should be called an illegal miner, it should be the Chinese. They engage in many activities including felling of trees in the forests, carting away the wood and depleting the forests. Another thing is that most of the buyers in the black market are fronting for them. If you visit their mining sites, you would see that they never employ anybody but fellow Chinese, nobody would tell you exactly what they are getting from the place and they would not disclose it to the government. It was even insinuated that Chinese prisoners form part of their workforce,” he said.
The Managing Director of the state-owned Bauchi Mining Synergy and Exploitation Company Limited, Isa Mohammed Tahir, told Daily Trust that the Chinese were actively involved in mining activities in the area. He said a Chinese company, Tongyi Allied Mining, was suspended over environmental pollution at its Tin mining site and the suspension had not been lifted. He added that as at September 2016, there were 159 licenced mining outfits while 29 licences were revoked within the same period.
He said in a way, the federal government had failed to effectively regulate the sector.
Tahir noted that while the mining inspectorate was almost comatose, sharp practices including illegal mining is a big challenge leading to massive loss of revenue.
But Alhaji Bello Galaje, the Chairman, Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) in Bauchi State, said revenue leakages had been plugged with the coming of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
He said the government recently witnessed an increase in its revenue earning in the solid minerals sector after many reforms were introduced in the sector.
Findings by our correspondent in Taraba revealed that locals connive with foreign nationals to engage in illegal mining of precious stones in Sardauna, Karim Lamido, Yorro, Ibbi, Gashaka and Bali local government areas. It was further gathered that precious stones like Sapphire, ruby, amber, topaz, amethyst and aquamarine of high quality are illegally mined and taken to China and Europe.
A resident of one of the areas, Malam Musa Tanko Maisamari, said more than 1,000 illegal miners operate in the area, but most do not know the real value of what they mine, and the foreigners decide what they pay for the precious stones.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Mrs Rebecca Manasseh, was absent when our report visited her office for comments, but an official at the ministry said they had received reports on the activities of illegal foreign miners. He said efforts to track them failed as no one was found during a search at the suspected sites.
He confirmed reports of illegal mining at Bachama village of Karim Lamido as well as activities of Chinese illegal miners. He said the village head of the area was invited but denied knowledge of their activities in his domain.
“We are supposed to have at least one mining officer in each of the 16 local government areas of the state to monitor activities of illegal miners but we lack manpower,” he said.
Campanin Zurak and Gimbi communities in Wase LGA of Plateau State are mining locations for foreigners, especially the Chinese. Wase, Jos South, Bassa and Bokkos have become beehives of mining activities for both locals and foreigners who scramble to excavate lead, zinc and tin. However, unlike other mining locations, Campanin Zurak and Gimbi are more famous for attracting Chinese miners.
In Gimbi, Daily Trust gathered that companies operating in the area have provided schools and hospitals and are presently constructing the road that links Wase town to the community. Shafi’I Sambo, a youth leader from Campanin Zurak in Wase told Daily Trust that the companies were constructing a block of classrooms. Sambo said despite mining for almost 10 years, the communities were yet to benefit from their activities. He said the locals had revolted against the expatriates a few weeks ago, grounding mining activities.
gathered that the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi and Governor Simon Bako Lalong were scheduled to visit the communities following the disagreement with the communities on Thursday but had to be rescheduled.
It was also gathered that though some of the locals serve as labourers in the Chinese companies, the locals have since last year been having problems with the companies which prompted the state House of Assembly Committee on solid Minerals to ask two of the companies to suspend activities while it investigated the growing tension.
Shafi’I Sambo said the companies at Campanin Zurak had agreed to provide roads, hospitals and schools and build the traditional ruler’s house but said except for the uncompleted block of three class rooms, nothing had been done.
He said the Chinese miners were situated a few kilometers from the locals with 24 hours electricity, water and good roads, contrary to the situation among locals. Ibrahim Khalid said though he recently joined as a labourer, the companies excavate truckloads of lead and zinc almost daily.
At the Lamingo dam where the state government has banned mining activities, our correspondent met a group of young men and women coming out of tunnels, having been there for over three hours. Bitrus Gambo was glad to have got tin worth N6,000.
“It is unfair that government allows the Chinese to come to our communities and mine freely while we are called illegal miners. Almost on daily basis, the police, civil defence and soldiers come to chase us. But this is the only means of making money, if you ask us to leave here what do you want us to do?” he said.