Six foreign nationals from Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic have been detained by the Zamfara State Police Command in relation to illicit mining and banditry in the region. This was revealed in Gusau on Wednesday by Mohammed Dalijan, the state commissioner of police, during the suspects’ parade at the Command Headquarters. He stated that three Burkina Faso-born suspects had been taken into custody near the Anka Local Government Area, which is home to the late bandits’ leader Halilu Sububu’s mining location.
He mentioned that various harmful chemicals, such as CNI chemicals, which the suspects were employing to extract gold, were found on them when they were caught.
“They are non-indigenes, they travelled from Burkina Faso to Nigeria purposely to do illegal mining. They have been arrested with these chemicals, including CNI. As you know, CNI is a very dangerous chemical that is being used by criminals in many forms, but they are using it to extract gold.”
“We are trying to find out where they keep their arms because we believe they are fully armed, they have taken over the mining pit of the late Halilu Buzu, and we want to find out their relationship.”
Ten more illegal miners from the Talata-Mafara local government were detained along with numerous bags of chemicals used in mineral processing, according to the CP. Dalijan stated that the Command had also taken into custody three further foreign nationals from the Niger Republic, who had three AK-47 firearms and AK-47 ammo made locally.
He said, “We are trying to find out who the manufacturers are. We have also arrested three people from the Niger Republic with fabricated AK-47 rifles, but they used AK-47 magazines and ammunition.”
The commissioner voiced concerns about the number of foreign nationals entering the nation illegally with the intention of committing crimes. He emphasised the Command’s efforts to guarantee the ban on mining by the federal and state governments is effectively enforced
“Some of our neighbours, who are from Burkina Faso, are threatening us. Faso and Niger coming here to commit all sorts of crimes, for some to leave Burkina Faso to come and enter our bush where our people cannot ordinarily enter, there is more to it.”
“I want everybody to know that mining is still illegal, the Federal Government has banned mining in Zamfara State, the state government has also banned mining, the Inspector General of Police has mandated us to enforce the law and we will continue enforcing it until there are no illegal miners in Zamfara State,” the CP added.
