CDS, deny military ,police provide security for illegal miners
The Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, has dismissed claims that members of the Armed Forces provide security for illegal miners in the country.
Dismissing the claims at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Mineral Resources on Thursday in Abuja, Musa urged Nigerians to report any of such case and the the site near them.
Represented by the Director of Operations Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo, Musa said that the military only provide protection for legitimate miners in conflict areas on the request Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals.
“The Armed Forces want to convey here that we are ready to support all the agencies involved in stopping illegal mining, including the civil defence, police and the ministry and so on.
“Now to the question that you asked if the military is protecting any minefield or illegal miners,most of the time, you find out that from reports reaching us from reliable sources that the military and police provide protection for illegal miners.
“I want to state categorically clear that is a fallacy and it is not true. If there is any such allegations, please we would want to know which of the mines or who brought the allegations so that we would take it up from there.
“If there is any such allegation, we want to know who brought that up, but as it is, that is pure lies sir,” he said.
Also, IGP Kayode Egbetokun ,who was represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Ademola Hamzat, said no responsible organisation paid with public funds would do anything that would be against the wish of the people.
He said that the police only protect some individuals, under serious threat, especially in terrorism inflicted areas.
“We have a procedure to even grant whoever we are going to guard. The procedure is we should know what you do for a living first and you must be able to establish to us the reasons you want personal guard, because the police are supposed to provide general service to the people.
“This is coordinated by the IGP. If the police are convinced that you are supposed to be given one or two guards for personal protection, they would grant. But from my investigation, we do not have any illegal miner that we so protect,” he said.
Rep. Dabo Isamail (APC-Bauchi state) urged the security agencies to be more circumspect and monitor the activities of illegal miners and suspected criminals
He said that committee was asking questions based on credible information available to it.
