Despite Federal Government’s “Stop work” order and sealing of a sand dredging and mining company, operating in Ilate-Etido community in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State over illegal its mining activities, the firm has continued operations in the community with its workers fully engaged on site.
The defiant company, operating under the name of Ojibas Nigeria Limited and owned by a businessman from Osun State, was, however, again sealed on Tuesday by officials from the Mining Inspectorate Department, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and Development, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
It was reliably gathered that the operating licence of the mining company dredging laterite and sand in the community, had been revoked by the Nigeria Mining Cadastral Office, Abuja, since August 12, 2022.
It was also gathered that despite the revocation of the mining licence which was published in the official gazette of NMCO, Abuja, the company continued to carry on illegal mining activities, using policemen and soldiers as security cover.
Meanwhile, a combined team of soldiers from the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta and police operatives from Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Onikan, Lagos, had on May 28, 2024 stormed the company and arrested the suspected illegal miners at the dredging site.
The security team also arrested some policemen and soldiers providing cover for the illegal miners headed by a Chinese national and whisked them to Onikan for interrogation.
Scores of residents of the host community had before then staged a protest against the company, lamenting negative and destructive impact of the illegal dredging of sand in the area, which according to them, had affected their farmlands, environment and their sources of livelihood.
Speaking on the re-sealing of the mining company, the Community Head of Ilate-Etido community, Chief Shamsideen Ajibawo, commended the Federal Government for slamming the “stop work order” on the company, which was operating illegally in the community.
Ajibawo said to his surprise, the illegal miners were still working there, urging the government to completely close down the site.
He said the community will now experience a huge relief with the re-sealing action, adding that the mining company, apart from engaging in unauthorized activities, had caused serious environmental degradation to the Ilate-Etido community.
Ajibawo said, “I personally wrote series of letters to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals, Cadastral Mining office, Office of the Inspector General of Police, Chief of Naval Staff and Ministry of Mines, Ogun State over the activities of these illegal miners.
“I also discovered when I went to Abuja that the company’s operating licence had been revoked, but the promoter of the company refused to leave the community, boasting that he had acquired all the land in Ilate-Etido and that the indigenes should vacate the land for him.
“The whole community was however thrown into jubilation as the combined soldiers from the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta and police operatives from the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, came to arrest the illegal miners and armed police they used to intimidate my people.
“With this latest development by the Federal Mining Office, Abuja, our people will be happy with the sealing of the illegal mining company as the company took them through hell.”
