SAN FRANCISCO, April 07, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has banned mining activities in Zamfara state and ordered foreigners within mining sites to vacate the area immediately, citing “Intelligence reports establishing a strong and glaring nexus between the activities of armed bandits and illicit miners – with both mutually re-enforcing each other.”
The government announced the ban as part of measures to restore peace in the state as bandits have been attacking villages in Zamfara for almost two years now.
Hundreds have been killed while several others have been kidnapped for ransom by the bandits who also destroy houses and properties of villagers.
Mohammed Adamu, acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), announced the ban while addressing state house correspondents after a security meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja on Sunday.
Adamu said the licences of individuals and companies that disobey the directive to stop the activities would be revoked.
with immediate effect.
“Consequently, any mining operator who engages in mining activities in the affected locations henceforth will have his licence revoke,” he said.
“All foreigners operating in the mining fields should close and leave within 48 hours.”
He assured those living in the affected areas that the security services were doing their best to address the situation.
On the sustained efforts to flush out, and permanently put an end to banditry and criminality in Zamfara, he said the police in collaboration with the military and other security services had commenced “Operation PUFF- ADDER”, a full scale security offensive against the bandits.
“The operation is aimed at reclaiming every public space under the control of the bandits, arrest and bring to book all perpetrators of violence in the area and their collaborators, achieve a total destruction of all criminal camps and hideouts, mop up all illicit weapons fueling the violence and attain a full restoration of law and order in the affected communities,” he said.
“Our commitment at protecting the sanctity of life and property is irrevocable, and we will not scale-down the pressure on the armed bandits until they are totally flushed-out.”
