Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, is insisting that there will be no hiding place for illegal miners as he continues waging war against the act in Nigeria.
The minister stated this at a press briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of the Mining Marshals which commenced with a parade by the Marshals at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja.
According to Alake the progress made in dislodging unauthorised mining activities and restoring investor confidence in the sector must be sustained.
He commended the Mining Marshals for arresting 327 suspected illegal miners, arraigning 143 suspects in court and recovering 98 mining sites.
Read also: Mining Marshals celebrate one year: 327 arrests, 98 sites recovered
“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has also approved N2.5 billion for the deployment of satellite technology to enhance security architecture in the mining sector,” Alake said.
The Minister commended the Commandant of the Mining Marshals, ACC John Attah Onoja, for his leadership and dedication.
Onoja expressed gratitude to the minister for his guidance and support, noting that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the minister has contributed immensely to the successes recorded.
With the deployment of satellite monitoring, the federal government aims to pioneer air and ground coverage for the security of the solid minerals sector, a major milestone in efforts to sanitize the sector.
