Unauthorised mining, popularly known as Illegal mining in some communities in Bauchi State, by locals including children and women, is still booming despite recent restrictions imposed by the state government.
WikkiTimes’ visit to some of the local mining sites showed that the miners seemed unaware or defying the restrictions imposed by the state government that miners must get consent letters from authorities.
The villagers work all day, extracting the mined sand locally called Monoxide minerals.
Abdullahi Madaki, a.k.a Timing, is a local miner and a member of the royal family of Jirr community in Bauchi Local government area.
He said with the mining in the communities, villagers were occupied and the little income improved their living. He expressed delight at the life support the locals are getting for engaging in the mining, noting that “It’s for development. It reduces the sufferings among the people.”
SCHOOL CHILDREN TURNED ILLEGAL MINERS
Several children of school age formed a greater percentage of the miners in the area, WikkiTimes observed.
During the visit, children and teenagers could be seen at the site besides women and youth.
One of the children explained that he stopped attending classes for about a year. When asked if his parents were taking him to school, he said “My parents are coming here too and we are getting money from this mining.”
In April 2023, the Jirr mining site became operational with locals including children and women engaging in full-day activities to get their daily bread.
However, the mining in the area gained momentum after the removal of the fuel subsidy last year, where locals, including civil servants, engaged in illegal mining to support the dwindling standard of living in the families.
The mining in the area got support from some dealers who bought some portions of the mining site and used excavators for the mining. This, according to the locals, helped more local illegal miners to engage in the mining activities in the area.
According to Madaki, the local miners get an average of N1500 a day and the business has supported over 400 locals directly benefitting from the mining activities. “Some were able to buy motorcycles, some bought cows, goats, etc. while others supported their family living,” he said.
He explained that despite hosting different people in the area, the youth in the area monitor the mining sites and activities to ensure peace and avoid any intrusion of criminals, stressing that they have cordial relations with the landowners at the mining sites.
Commenting on security in the area, Madaki said security agents are monitoring the mining activities in the area including the intelligence.
Madaki said as a member of the royal family, he and other youths in the community monitor the mining activities to ensure peace and to avoid any trespass by the miners and possible intruders.
“We monitor what is going on here, and there is no problem,” he said.
After the extraction of the mined mineral from the site, some of the locals would move for machine processing at Bayara, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis.
A kg of the extracted monazite cost N4,500, one of the operators told WikkiTimes, and that they work throughout the day non-stop for the trooping local miners comprising children and women.
In August, four illegal miners died following the collapse of a mining site in Kogo Kadage village in the Yadagungume area of Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The incident reportedly occurred when the miners were digging lead and trying to excavate it.
A recent investigation by Daily Trust revealed that besides Bauchi local government, illegal mining is taking place in five local government areas of the state, including Toro, Alkaleri, Ningi, and some parts of Tafawa Balewa. More prevalent in 20 different sites in Toro where tin ore, gold, columbite, and monoxide, among other minerals, are mined.
However, the residents of the communities expressed concern over the influx of illegal miners from Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and foreigners to the mining communities, hence, gradually becoming a hideout for criminals.
Last week, the Bauchi state government banned traditional rulers from giving consent letters to prospective mining investors in their respective communities.
The state commissioner for natural resources, Maiwada Bello, disclosed this in a statement dated January 5, 2024, saying that henceforth.
It is illegal for individuals, groups or traditional leaders to issue consent letters to any investor without obtaining clearance from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
