The Nigerian government led by President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday announced a ban on mining activities in the northern Zamfara State. The decision has been taken owing to the wider state of insecurity in the state.
“The federal government has ordered the suspension of all mining activities in Zamfara State with immediate effect,” said presidential aide Bashir Ahmed in a tweet, reported Reuters.
The government’s decision is in line with intelligence reports that suggest a strong and glaring nexus between the activities of armed bandits and illicitminers with both mutually re-enforcing each other.
The government has issued three directives- mining activities in Zamfara and other affected States have been suspended with immediate effect, any mining operator who engages in mining activities in the affected locations henceforth will have his licence revoked and all foreigners operating in the mining fields have been ordered to close and leave within 48 hours.
The Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with the Nigerian military and other security services has launched “Operation PUFF-ADDER” which is a full-scale security offensive against the bandits.
The operation is aimed at reclaiming areas currently under the control of the bandits, arresting all perpetrators of violence in the affected areas, and their collaborators, achieving total destruction of all criminal camps and hideouts, and removing all illicit weapons fueling the violence and attaining a full restoration of law and order in the affected communities.
Commenting on the matter, President Buhari on Sunday said it is ridiculous and unfair to suggest that he was not concerned about the security situation in Zamfara State, nor doing anything about the insecurity there.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he noted his primary responsibility and function as President is to ensure the protection of the people of Nigeria. He assured that no other issue dominates his attention as much. Buhari called out all Nigerians to rally round a common enemy and not to politicize the issue in Zamfara.
