Insecurity crippling mining activities In Niger – MAN chairman warns

The Chairman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, Niger State chapter, Abdulazeez Yusuf Mohammed, has warned that escalating insecurity is crippling mining activities across the state.

Mohammed urged Governor Mohammed Umar Bago to seek the deployment of additional security personnel to safeguard mining sites before the sector suffers a total collapse.

The MAN chairman made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Minna, saying worsening insecurity has forced many legitimate miners to abandon mining sites as armed attacks become more frequent.

He said several mining communities across Niger State have turned into dangerous flashpoints where miners and geologists risk their lives carrying out exploration and mining activities.

According to him, continued attacks by armed gunmen could significantly reduce revenue accruing to both the Niger State and Federal Governments from the mining sector.

The State MAN chairman lamented that the activities of the armed groups are gradually bringing the exploration and exploitation of gold, lithium and other solid minerals to a standstill, noting that most of the state’s mineral deposits are located in forests affected by recurring banditry.

“It has become more or less a suicide mission for miners, geologists and other professionals to enter the forests in search of mineral deposits,” he said.

Mohammed explained that mineral exploration involves bedrock mapping, geochemical sampling, pitting, trenching and drilling, but said these activities have been severely disrupted by insecurity and are now largely confined to relatively safe areas.

He disclosed that many geologists and miners have fallen victim to bandit attacks during exploration, adding that despite the state’s abundant deposits of gold, lithium and other minerals, no serious exploration has taken place in many parts of the state in recent years.

The MAN chairman urged the government to bolster security around mining communities and deploy modern surveillance technologies, including drones and digital forest-monitoring systems, to curb criminal activities and prevent the mining sector from collapsing.