Michael Ofulue,Osogbo
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun State Command, has apprehended five individuals for alleged illegal mining activities within the state.
The suspects are also accused of theft and other criminal activities in the area.
NSCDC State Commandant, Igbalawole Sotiyo, while parading the suspects in Osogbo, stated that they were implicated in illegal mining in the Ilesa area of the state.
Their arrest, according to him, followed intelligence reports gathered by NSCDC operatives responsible for securing critical infrastructure, including the mining sector in the state.
The Osun NSCDC boss said a discreet investigation revealed that the suspects, who hail from Kano, were conducting mining activities without a valid mining licence, contravening Section 2 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
According to him, the Act states that: “No person shall engage in mining activities without a valid mining lease or permit.”
Sotiyo added that Section 46 of the same Act also stipulates that “any person who contravenes the provisions of this Act commits an offence and is liable”.
In another development, Commandant Sotiyo revealed that the command’s personnel also arrested one Akeju Abiodun, 34, for theft.
The commandant explained that the suspect allegedly stole N220,000, from the shop of one Mrs Hammed, inside the town’s market on November 4 and absconded with the money.
He further stated that Abiodun was arrested on November 11 while attempting to steal a bag from another woman in the same market.
The suspect, in a confessional statement, said he used the stolen money to purchase items, including a 26-inch mattress, a Plasma television, a furniture cabinet, and two Android phones, among other goods.
The commandant assured the public that the suspects would be prosecuted upon completion of the ongoing investigation.
“I also want to use this medium to inform the good people of Osun that security is everybody’s business. We are soliciting proactive intelligence that can nip crime and criminality in the bud so as to serve you better,” Sotiyo stated.