Jonathan Vatsa (Nigerian Mining)

Jonathan Vatsa, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has declared that illegal mining and banditry are the two most profitable businesses in Northern Nigeria.

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    Vatsa reaffirmed the claim made by former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who alleged that retired military generals were behind illegal mining, particularly in the North.

    In a statement issued on Thursday, titled “I Am Solidly Behind Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Illegal Mining,” the former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism asserted:

    “The large-scale illegal mining going on in the country, especially in the North, does not only have the full backing of retired military generals but also political elites and the top business class.”

    He further stressed that illegal mining, which he described as having no economic benefit to the country, significantly contributes to the persistent security challenges in the region.

    Artisanal-and-Small-Scale-Mining (Nigerian Mining)

    *”Both political and traditional leaderships in the North, including the top business class, are fully aware of this illegal but lucrative activity.

    Nobody who has a conscience and the fear of God will want to fault Oshiomhole over his comment on illegal mining in the country.

    He just hit the nail on the head; it is what everybody is aware of, but people are not ready to say anything about it,”* Vatsa stated.

    The former APC publicity secretary in Niger State lamented that while illegal mining thrives in the North, enriching a select few, the government continues to militarize the Niger Delta over illegal oil bunkering.

    He questioned why gold is not treated as a national resource like crude oil, arguing:

    “Gold is more valuable than crude oil in the international market today.

    But unfortunately, the government has decided to turn its back on illegal gold mining in the country and allowed individuals and their foreign collaborators to continue to shortchange the country.”

    Vatsa maintained that illegal mining is directly linked to the prevailing insecurity in the North, stating:

    “What is going on in the North is nothing short of economic war.

    People hide under banditry to illegally mine gold and other mineral resources across the region, and everybody is aware of this, but there is no political will to confront the situation.”

    Recalling a tragic incident in June 2022, Vatsa highlighted the brutal killing of 34 soldiers and eight mobile policemen at Ajata Aboki, Erena Ward of Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State, while they were providing security at a mining site.

    He condemned the silence of both the government and the military authorities on the matter, saying:

    “This is three years now after that unfortunate incident, but nobody has come out to tell Nigerians the truth behind the killing of those promising Nigerian soldiers and policemen.

    Who is the owner of that mining site where soldiers and policemen were providing security? Who ordered their deployment to the site?

    These are questions Nigerians have been expecting the government to answer, but nobody has said anything about it.

    How can a government sweep such a national disaster under the carpet if not that some highly placed individuals are behind the deployment of these soldiers to the mining site?”

    He further noted:

    “It is on record that after the incident, the then governor of the state, Sani Bello, banned all mining activities in the state and set up a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings. But thereafter, nothing has been said about it. This is the tragedy of a nation.”

    Vatsa challenged the government and military authorities to release the findings of the committee that investigated the attack, arguing:

    “Before anybody crucifies Oshiomhole over his allegation, let the government and the military authorities make public the findings of the committee that investigated the killing of these soldiers and policemen at the Ajata Aboki mining site in Niger State.”

    He insisted that Oshiomhole merely stated what many Nigerians already knew, adding:

    “Our leaders at all levels know those who are behind illegal mining in the country.

    They are untouchable, and they can make you lose an election as a politician if you go after them. So that is the situation we have found ourselves in.”

    Vatsa concluded that until the government takes decisive action against illegal mining, insecurity will persist.

    “Bandits usually avoid these miners and go after innocent farmers in our communities because they operate in synergy,” he asserted.

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