Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said that he was threatened for saying powerful Nigerians are behind banditry associated with illegal mining in Nigeria.

 

Speaking during a visit to the explosion site in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Alake stated that he’s undaunted because these things have to be said.

 

He said;

 

“If you follow my budget defence at the House of Representatives or Senate, I did say categorically to the whole world that powerful Nigerians are behind the banditry associated with illegal miners in this country.

 

” I said it openly, of course, I received threats, but we are undaunted because these things have to be said, and in any case, I wasn’t saying anything new, most people knew it.

“Many people have been saying it, I only gave it an official stamp, based on intelligence reports. So, there is a lot of connivance along and among the strata of the society both high, medium and low.

“It is not an exclusive preserve of just a high hut. It cuts across the strata of the society. So, this is a societal problem, and I did say at that meeting at the budgetary defence that we were employing both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies and tactics to combine all of these. The details I won’t be able to reveal publicly now because that will also be un-strategic.”

 

Alake also disclosed that the Federal Government is working with all critical stakeholders at the state, local government and host communities to bring to an end the activities of the illegal miners.

 

He said;

 

“One of the things that happen now even in the forest that is unknown to many people is that the bandits who the highly placed Nigerians are sponsoring have access to funding and heavy arsenal.

 

“They even laid mines on the ground against our ground forces that were moving in the forest to dislodge them. That is why we require the military’s presence, involvement and engagement.”

 

On the Ibadan explosion which claimed the lives of 5 people, leaving 77 injured and 58 houses damaged, the Minister said;

 

 

“It would be presumptuous and precipitate for the government to make any solid pronouncement or definite pronouncement on the incident for now, until we have examined all the forensic analyses reports, all the investigations from all the security agencies, the mines inspectorate division of the ministry of solid minerals, intelligence arms of the various agencies before any pronouncement

 

 

“They are all working round the clock to ensure that there is an authentic and very viable forensic report to the government. It is after this that the government will be on the solid platform to make an informed judgment and a categorical statement, anything before then will be presumptuous, precipitate and could be misleading at the end of the day.”