Police arrest 109 illegal miners in Nasarawa, burst kidnappers’ den

The Nasarawa State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 109 suspected illegal miners operating in the Nasarawa Eggon local government area of the state.

The State Police Commissioner, Musa Shehu Nadada, who spoke while parading the suspects at the state police command headquarters in Lafia on Tuesday, said the suspects were arrested following painstaking efforts by officers of the anti-kidnapping unit of the command in collaboration with the vigilante group in the council.

The Commissioner said the command’s anti-kidnapping squad began the operation from the Mada station to Wakama community, around the Alogani Mountain and uncovered a kidnappers’ dane which they use as a hideout to keep their victims until ransom is paid.

Nadada added that the suspects were arrested at different locations on the mountain while carrying out illegal mining of solid minerals such as Topaz, Tin, and Aquamarine.

According to the police boss, items recovered from the suspects include a dane gun, cutlasses, knives, illegally mined solid minerals, among other items.

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A statement issued on behalf of the CP by the Command spokesman, DSP Ranham Nansel, said during the search by the combined team of the operatives, the kidnappers had deserted all the camps before the arrival of the operatives.

“Yesterday, February 19, 2024, at about 6am, the anti-kidnapping unit of the command in collaboration with vigilante groups from the Nasarawa Eggon LGA engaged in a massive raid of some criminal hideouts at Alogani hills in Nasarawa Eggon LGA,” the statement said.

“They raided from Mada station to Wakama area to arrest suspected kidnappers. Unfortunately, some of them ran away but we were able to arrest some illegal miners, about 109 of them who are here

“109 persons suspected to be illegal miners were arrested at different locations on the mountain carrying out illegal mining of solid minerals such as Topaz, Tin, and Aquamarine. A dane gun, cutlasses, knives illegally mined solid minerals, etc were recovered from the suspects as exhibit.

“The suspected miners have been profiled and investigation is ongoing. Commissioner of Police has ordered continuous clampdown on criminal hideouts in the state,” the PPRO said.

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