Task force arrests 3,500 illegal miners in Taraba

The Task Force on the Enforcement of Ban on Illegal Mining and Deforestation in Taraba State has arrested 3, 500 illegal miners in the Bali local government area of Taraba State.

The chairman of the task force, Brig.-Gen. Jeremiah Faransa (retd), disclosed this to journalists on Monday in Jalingo.

He said the illegal miners were from Mali, Senegal, Chad, Zamfara, and other parts of the country.

The chairman noted that Taraba was richly blessed with abundant natural resources waiting to be harnessed not just for the benefit of the locals but the state and the country at large.

READ ALSO: Many killed in clash between police, illegal miners

Faransa said: “This beautiful atmosphere endowed by nature is being threatened by the activities of some unauthorised people through illegal mining.

“These illegal miners take home billions of naira on a daily basis at the expense of the locals. They damage the ecosystem and environment which will have multiple effects on the future of the state.

“Dogon Yatsu is a thick forest which has become their new abode where they extract mineral resources of various kinds.”

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