The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has pledged that those responsible for the killing of a police officer during an anti-illegal mining operation in Niger State will be brought to justice.
The officer was killed on Wednesday during a joint patrol in Zuzungi, Kataeregi, in Katcha Local Government Area.
The operation involved personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, local security operatives known as Anti-Drugs Control, and officials of Millennium Metals Mining Company.
According to the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Aniviye, the team was attacked by armed illegal miners while attempting to intercept suspected smugglers at the company’s mining site. The attackers reportedly shot and killed a police officer and set an NSCDC Hilux vehicle ablaze.
Reacting to the development, Alake said security and intelligence agencies had been placed on red alert to track down those behind the attack.
“The illegal miners responsible for the murder of the gallant officer will face the full weight of the law,” the minister said. “Their arrest and prosecution will send a clear message that this administration has zero tolerance for illegal mining and violence against security personnel.”
He added that the incident would not weaken the Federal Government’s resolve to sanitise the mining sector and protect legitimate operators.
Alake also noted that growing investor interest in Nigeria’s mining sector, particularly at the ongoing Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, underscored the need to maintain stability and confidence in the industry.
He assured that efforts to curb illegal mining and secure mining communities across the country would continue despite the attack.
