Federal government prosecutes 18 Chinese over illegal mining

macfranc007 February 01, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Nurudeen Lawal

- The minister of mines and steel development said about 36 Nigerians have been arrested over illegal mining

- He said 18 Chinese are also being prosecuted over the same crime

- He added that federal government has approved some policy and programme initiatives proposed by his ministry

The minister of mines and steel development, Kayode Fayemi, has said that 18 Chinese are being prosecuted for engaging in illegal mining while 36 Nigerians have been arrested for a similar crime.

Fayemi stated this on Wednesday, January 31, while briefing State House correspondents after the cabinet meeting, Daily Trust reports.

NAIJ.com gathered that the minister noted that police were prosecuting handling the illegal miners.

He added that most cases of illegal mining were on gold and sapphire.

According to the minister, one Dan China, a native of Bauchi state, was behind illegal mining in Plateau state.

He said: “About 36 were arrested and we have the mines police there, they are being prosecuted, I believe the police are handling that. Eighteen of the Chinese are being prosecuted.”

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He also stated that the council approved 10 policy and programme initiatives, including the Mining Regulatory Commission and the aeromagnetic survey of mineral deposits in Nigeria commissioned in 2006, but not delivered due to non-funding.

NAIJ.com previously reported that an Australian company, Africa Mutual Resources, solicited the support of the federal government on “Blockchain Technology” to track illegal mining in the country.

The Blockchain is a distributed database created by blockchain technology which fundamentally has a different digital backbone.

The chairman of the company, Ade Kukoyi, made the call when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the managing director of NAN, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday, December 18, 2017, in Abuja.

Kukoyi said Nigeria was losing a huge amount of money to illegal mining, especially illegal mining of gold.

He added that blockchain technology would help the country to transform the way business was done and bring an end to the activities of illegal miners.

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