Scores of suspected illegal miners fled from an unauthorised mining site at Mayo-Kam community in Bali local government area of Taraba State on Wednesday following a joint enforcement operation by the state Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force.
The task force comprising of military personnel and local vigilantes stormed the site where some of the miners were arrested.
The task force chairman, SP Emmanuel Jamu, who disclosed this during a telephone chat with journalists, described the operation as a major breakthrough in the state’s ongoing crackdown on illegal mining activities.
SP Jamu said the joint security team acted on credible intelligence before storming the site, forcing the suspected illegal miners to abandon their operations and flee.
“Our team, in conjunction with troops and local vigilantes, acted on credible intelligence and raided the illegal mining location.
“On sighting the security operatives, the illegal miners fled the area,” he said.
Jamu said many of the suspected illegal miners were from outside Taraba State and had entered the area to carry out mining activities without authorisation.
He reiterated the state’s commitment to dismantling illegal mining networks and warned that anyone found engaging in unlawful mining would face the full weight of the law.
He appealed to residents to continue to provide credible information to security agencies to enable them identify and dismantle illegal mining camps across the state.
Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media and verified by the task force reportedly showed a large number of persons engaged in illegal mining activities at the Mayo-Kam site before the security operation.
The footage highlighted the scale of the unauthorised mining activities in the area and has raised fresh concerns over the security and environmental implications of illegal mining in Taraba State.
The Taraba State Government has intensified its campaign against illegal mining in recent months, with the Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force carrying out a series of operations, aimed at curbing illicit mineral exploitation and protecting the state’s natural resources.
