Five persons have been apprehended by the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for alleged illegal mining in the state, the command announced on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Augustine Padonu, the state’s NSCDC Commandant, made this announcement as the suspects were being paraded.
He stated that the Command’s personnel successfully intercepted the suspects with two trucks filled with solid minerals suspected to be lithium powder, weighing around 60 tonnes.
According to Padonu, the products were loaded from Ilenla in Kishi, Oyo State, and were scheduled for sale in Ogere, Ogun.
The commandant stated that the suspects were operating from illegal mining locations and lacked an operation licence, royalties, a purchase and processing licence, and a haulage receipt.
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“On Friday, at about 2100 hours, our vigilant monitoring team intercepted two DAF trucks with registration numbers BDJ 64 XE and ARP 201 XB at the Ibadan Toll Gate of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
“The trucks were loaded with solid minerals suspected to be lithium powder weighing about 60 tonnes,” he said.
The NSCDC officer stated that the suspects will be arraigned in court after the investigations were completed.
He remarked that the NSCDC in Oyo State remains committed to cleansing the state of criminal elements.
“We urge the good people of Oyo State to continue providing NSCDC and other security agencies with information that will aid our efforts in maintaining law and order,” Padonu said.
He guaranteed that the command would work relentlessly to protect the nation’s substantial mineral resources and ensure that all mining activities were carried out in accordance with the law.
