Oscarline Onwuemenyi
07 April 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Plateau State command, has arrested and charged to court, 150 illegal miners armed with dangerous weapons in the state.
This was disclosed by Commandant of NSCDC in the state, Mr. Solomon Olasupo.
Olasupo said the corps had a running battle last week with some illegal miners in Gyoro village, a border between Jos South and Maiyango in Bassa Local Government Areas of the State where 20 persons were arrested with weapons.
Mr. Olasupo disclosed this in an interview with journalists at the passing out parade of the Command’s armed trained personnel in Jos.
“We have arrested 150 illegal miners in Jos South, Bassa, Barkin-Ladi and Wase Local Government Areas of the State. These miners are illegally armed, from our investigation, some of them are criminals and we had a gun battle with must of them before their arrested.
“We have charged all of them to court and some because of the power from above have been released, but we will not rest on our oars to rid the state of illegal mining, pipeline vandalism, and electricity, particularly now that we have been given the leverage to retrain our personnel on carrying arms,” he added.
He noted that 7,230 illegal miners were arrested and charged to court in 2016, and said most of them are serving a jail term, some are still under prosecution while some have been released due to the syndrome of godfatherism.
The commandant added that the corps in March 2017, arrested and charged to court six persons for vandalism of petroleum pipelines and electricity transformer in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
