By Isaac Anumihe
Federal Government has declared the Chairman of Solid Unit Limited and Geotess Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Usman Abubakar (aka Dan China) wanted for illegally mining minerals worth over N100 billion. Describing him as a notorious illegal miner, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Fayemi Kayode, said that his companies were shut down in Zurak, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State last month.
The Minister disclosed this during a meeting with the staff of the ministry in Abuja recently, saying that 16 Chinese nationals and eight Nigerians involved in massive illegal mining were arrested in Zurak, on August 15 at the wake of the shutting down of the two companies on the orders of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd), and the Minister when the duo visited some illegal mining sites in the richly-endowed lead/zinc belt.
He said that Usman Abubakar was declared wanted by the NSA and he also ordered all security agencies to arrest him for acts seen as economic sabotage.
Fayemi, who said this in the meeting attended by all cadre of the workers in the ministry, added that the huge scale of illegal mining by the two companies in Wase was tantamount to economic terrorism, noting that the government was determined to confront anyone or group that is out to sabotage the economy through illegal mining and other means.
He said the scale of illegal mining perpetrated by the two blacklisted companies and their foreign collaborators was humongous, stressing that they used very sophisticated equipment, including a tunnel with rail track and other heavy machines for their illegal operations.
According to him, the arrested Nigerians have been in active connivance with foreigners to carry out massive illegal mining in the state thereby depriving the country of revenue. “Their unwholesome activities have also led to environmental degradation and abandoned mine pits”, he said.
The Minister said the leadership of the ministry carried out the operation that led to the closure of the illegal mining companies/sites and the arrest in a discreet manner, because of the massive network of collaborators and informants at the disposal of the companies.
“We didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so it was done discreetly”, he said, adding that it was a successful operation, which according to him had also restored sanity to the area, which had been under the siege of illegal miners and criminal elements for some years.
The arrested Nigerians and their foreign collaborators, he said, have been handed over to the newly- inaugurated Mines Division of the Nigerian Police for prosecution, saying that the ministry would adopt its own whistle blowing arrangement in order to encourage more information on illegal mining activities in the sector.