In a bid to crack down on illegal mining activities across Oyo State, the Mines and Steel Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, under the leadership of Commandant Augustine Padonu, has successfully apprehended ten suspects involved in illegal mining operations, criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of Feldspars mineral.
Parading the ten suspects at Area “A” Command, Railway Quarters, Iyaganku Ibadan, Commandant Padonu gave the names of the ten suspects as: Adewale Akinkunmi male, 35yrs,(site manager), Justine Egejuru male, 52yrs(Site attendant), Gbadamosi Abeeb male, 36yrs(Driver), Mustapha Also male, 42yrs(Driver), Ayuba Abdul Rahman male, 27yrs (Driver), Hammed Abass, male, 21yrs(Motor boy), Bolarinwa Hassan, male, 34yrs (Motor boy), Jimoh Kudus, male, 17yrs(Motor boy), Sanni Ayuba, male, 19yrs (Motor boy) and Usman Umar, male, 25yrs (Motor boy).
He further expressed that Adewale Akinkunmi, male 35yrs(Site manager) and Justine Egejuru male 52yrs (Site attendant) are staff of Baykad Enterprises, Ikeja, Lagos State while Gbadamosi Abeeb and remaining 7 others are employees of CNG Glass Manufacturing Company, Igbesa, Ogun State.
Commandant Augustine Padonu made it known that three trucks of feldspar were loaded in Ido Local Government of Oyo State.
The special squad of Mines and Steel intercepted and arrested the suspects and seized the three trucks at around 1700hrs on May 27th, 2024, with 200 tons of feldspar loaded illegal on each truck without appropriate license from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and royalty paid to the Federal Government.
Exhibit recovered included three trucks with registration number, FZE 170 OG, (OGFTS), FZE 172 OG (OGFTZ) and FZE 268 OG (OGFTZ).
Investigation revealed that the three trucks were to deliver the product to CNG Glass Manufacturing Company at Igbesa, Ogun State.
Engineer Olugbenga Ajayi, the Zonal Mines Officer, SouthWest Zonal Office, Ibadan, who was present at the parade of the suspects, commended the State Command for the significant arrest. He emphasized that the successful apprehension of the suspects is a testament to the dedication and vigilance of NSCDC in combating illegal mining operations in the state. Engineer Olugbenga Ajayi further stated that such illegal mining not only undermine the government’s efforts to regulate the mining industry but also pose economic threats to the country.
Meanwhile, the State Command of NSCDC remains resolute in its fight against illegal mining and will not relent in bringing saboteur to book. The Command hereby urges members of the public to be vigilant, more security conscious and always provide useful information to NSCDC and other Security agencies so as to nip crime in the bud in Oyo State. “If you see something, say something”.
The State Commandant later made it known that the ten suspects will be arraigned in the Court of Law after the conclusion of the investigation.
