Illegal mining poses serious security and environmental threats to communities in Benue State, and unregulated extraction of mineral resources could fuel armed conflicts in mining communities and expose residents to dangerous pollution.
A Panelist, who made this submission while leading discussion on Friday’s edition of Perspectives, Agate Radio current affairs programme, warned that apart from depriving host communities of legitimate economic benefits, illegal mining activities also constitute threat to the contamination of water sources and other environmental hazards associated with indiscriminate mining.
Speaking on the programme, Benue State Vice Chairman, Association of Solid Minerals Miners and Marketers of Nigeria, Augustine Bokyaa, cautioned that illegal mining activities could trigger insecurity, including armed banditry within affected communities, noting that illegal miners are exploiting the State’s mineral resources without adequate compensation or meaningful benefits accruing to the communities where the resources are extracted.
Mr Bokyaa who identified Kwande, Logo, Ushongo and other parts of the State as areas where suspected illegal mining activities are taking place, urged relevant authorities to strengthen monitoring and ensure that mining operations are conducted within the provisions of the law, calling on the government to regularise artisanal miners by bringing them into the formal mining system.
He pointed out that obtaining a mining licence does not give operators unlimited access to mineral resources, as licensed miners are authorised to exploit specified minerals within approved coordinates, emphasising that mining outside the approved mineral type or designated coordinates, amounts to illegal mining and should attract appropriate regulatory action.
Mr Bokyaa cautioned communities against engaging in or supporting illegal mining, stating that such activities could expose residents to environmental and security risks, while encouraging them to work with government agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure that mining is carried out legally.
He highlighted some of the mineral resources being extracted in communities across Benue to including gold, lithium, led, and zinc among others, stressing that uncontrolled exploitation could deprive the State and its people of the long-term economic value of their natural resources.
