Ebonyi State Government, in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has announced an immediate and total ban on illegal mining activities across the state.
The enforcement measure was announced at a joint press briefing held at the NSCDC Command Headquarters in Abakaliki, with officials warning unlicensed miners and mineral traders to cease operations or face prosecution.
The initiative is aimed at ending unlicensed mining, protecting government revenue and curbing environmental degradation caused by mining activities.
Addressing journalists, the Ebonyi State Commandant of the NSCDC, Francis Nnadi, warned illegal operators to vacate mining sites immediately or risk the full weight of the law.
“Artisanal miners who take the law into their hands must understand that those days are over,” Nnadi said.
He explained that miners are required to meet statutory and operational conditions before they can legally operate, stressing that all activities that fail to meet the requirements must stop immediately.
Nnadi also issued a final warning to unlicensed buyers and mineral traders operating without valid permits or official authorisation in the state.
“Buyers who lack the prerequisite licenses or official authorization to trade in solid minerals in Ebonyi State should take this as a final notice. Anyone caught will face the full wrath of the law,” he warned.
The commandant said NSCDC personnel would work with local communities, state officials and other security agencies to enforce the directive, adding that offenders would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
Beyond mining activities, Nnadi reminded contractors and members of the public that the protection of critical national infrastructure is part of the NSCDC’s mandate.
He specifically warned construction companies against damaging telecommunications fibre-optic cables and other public utilities while executing projects.
“These underground cables connect all of us. If contractors damage or vandalise them while carrying out business, we will hold them accountable and charge them accordingly,” he said.
Nnadi added that the NSCDC was collaborating with the Federal and State Ministries of Works to ensure proper due diligence before excavation and other earthworks are carried out.
Also speaking, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Chinedum Nkah, described the solid minerals sector as a major revenue source for the state, second only to statutory federal allocations.
He said the government would not allow individuals or companies to undermine the sector through illegal mining and unregulated mineral trading.
“We cannot under any circumstances accommodate attempts to sabotage this sector,” Nkah said.
“Sabotaging solid minerals means sabotaging the efforts of Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration in delivering the ‘People’s Charter of Needs’ to our citizens.”
Nkah urged security agencies to intensify efforts to identify and apprehend illegal mineral marketers who facilitate illicit trading and deprive the state of statutory revenue.
While acknowledging that artisanal mining provides livelihoods for many residents, the commissioner directed operators to register with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to enable the government to maintain accurate records and distinguish legitimate miners from illegal operators.
He stressed that possessing a federal mining licence does not give operators the right to disregard state laws and regulations.
Nkah also disclosed that the ministry had established a task force to monitor mining sites and enforce environmental compliance, including the requirement for mining companies to reclaim and cover open pits after extraction.
“We will no longer tolerate situations where miners extract billions of Naira, cart away profits, and leave abandoned pits that pose death traps to our people,” he said.
To strengthen enforcement, the ministry is expected to collaborate with the NSCDC to train members of the newly established task force on operational guidelines, legal frameworks and intelligence sharing.
The state government and security agencies also urged residents to report suspected illegal mining activities and cases of critical infrastructure vandalism in their communities.
(Channels Tv)
