Illegal Mining Vendors Pose Dangerous Threat To Osun State, Oyetola Cries Out

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has decried the activities of illegal mining vendors in the state, describing it as threat to the peace and survival of the people.

Oyetola opined that the huge mineral deposits in the Osun East senatorial district of the state might not add to the economic well-being of the people living in the area, and the state at large if illegal mining was not curbed.

The governor made the remarks at Ilesha, during a security meeting with critical stakeholders in Ijesha land.

He said his government considered it pertinent to take creative and proactive approach in tackling any signal of security breach in the state, hence the urgency of the meeting.

According to him, there are efforts in place to register every miner operating in the state, adding that no miner would be allowed to operate without being registered, as he stressed that landlords of erring registered miners would also be found culpable.

“The activities of illegal mining vendors, if not checked, will shatter the safety, security and peace of our people as they are capable of engaging in untoward behaviours.

“Ife-Ilesa zone is home to huge mineral deposits, which will hugely increase and improve the prosperity of our people, but as experiences of mining-rich communities show, the zone will naturally witness security challenges that accompany mining activities.

“Today’s meeting is therefore intended to afford us all the opportunity to strategize and address the challenges and live in peace with our residents and neighbours.

“This is the proactive way to forestall the attendant crises and crimes that mining-rich communities experience”, Oyetola said.

He noted that there is an upsurge in criminal activities around illegal mining sites, with resultant menace of kidnapping, indiscriminate shootings on the highway and harassment of innocent residents.

Oyetola threatened that he might be forced to take more drastic action in the area should that degree of criminality continues, including total ban of mining activities.

“To prevent the hammer from falling, all hands must be on deck to avoid criminality.

“Henceforth, all miners operating in this state must be registered to enable the Government keep a record. No miner should operate in this State without being registered.

“Community leaders (the Serikis) must play a key role in ensuring that this directive on registration is faithfully carried out.

“Thereafter, Serikis will be held accountable for acts of crime committed by miners in their area of operation.

“The illegal miners will live among your people, share common means of transportation with them, work on their land, patronize their markets and shops, drink from their sources of water and generally interact with them. Consequently, our people are in the best position to expose the activities of these criminals and secure their own communities.”