The Nasarawa State Government has set up a special monitoring and enforcement team to tackle illegal and child labour-related mining activities across communities in the state.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Mineral Resources and Mining, Margaret Elayo, said this during a press briefing in Lafia.
Elayo said the measure became necessary following the recent reported death of more than 30 suspected illegal miners in Minna, Niger state.
READ ALSO: Joint Task Force Seizes Weapons in Cross-Border Raid
She said the state government would no longer fold its arms and allow individuals to engage in illegal mining activities that expose lives to danger and contribute to environmental degradation.
The Commissioner explained that the special monitoring team had been empowered to visit mining communities and sites across the state and arrest persons or entities engaged in mining activities without the required licences and clearance from the government.
Elayo identified Marhai in Wamba Local Government Area as one of the communities where cases of illegal mining had been reported in recent times.
She called on traditional rulers and community leaders to cooperate with the government in its efforts to eliminate illegal mining activities across the state and safeguard the lives and property of citizens.
The Commissioner said the incident in Niger State should serve as a warning to Nasarawa State and prompt precautionary measures to sanitise mining activities and other operations involving the exploration of the state’s mineral resources
