In the ongoing fight against illicit mining in the state, a team of security officers working with representatives from the Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources has detained twelve suspected illegal miners.

The crew went to T Mama Area in Minna, where four more people were being held, and mining sites in Gurusu, where eight people had been arrested, on Friday.

Information from the monitoring team’s sources suggested that the team also confiscated the mining equipment used by the unlicensed miners and those who carried on with their mining operations in defiance of the state government’s mining prohibition.

According to Dibie Maureen, the ministry’s communication officer, significant steps have been taken to combat unlawful mining, which is why the equipment has been seized and people arrested.

She stated that the Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources, under the direction of Permanent Secretary Alhaji Yunusa Nahauni, carried out an extensive tour of several mining sites in an attempt to proactively address the issue of illicit mining in Minna.

The information officer reported that when they discovered illegal activity, security officers from the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) and Nigeria Hunter’s and Forestry Security Services made major confiscations and arrests.

“The team’s attention was primarily focused on Gurusu, where they successfully apprehended eight individuals involved in illegal mining activities,” she said.

She continued by saying that the group went to T. Mama Mandela Road in Minna, where they detained four individuals and seized three water rolls, five water pumps, and other mining-related equipment.

She noted that as they awaited additional legal proceedings, the suspects will be detained in the NSCDC headquarters.