By Ado Oyeyemi
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Cross River State Command, has arrested two men allegedly operating as armed enforcers for an illegal mining syndicate terrorising licensed miners in Yakurr Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, identified as 34-year-old Stephen Ibang Francis and 24-year-old Oduwo Emmanuel Obasi, were arrested during a raid on a mining site at Agba Iyam in Yakurr following intelligence provided by members of the public.
The state Commandant of the NSCDC, Okarama Chuna, disclosed this on Wednesday while parading the suspects at the command headquarters in Calabar.
Chuna said operatives stormed the mining site after receiving credible information about the activities of the suspected syndicate.
According to him, the suspects, both natives of Nkpani village in Yakurr, were allegedly found with two locally fabricated firearms and 16 rounds of live ammunition.
The commandant said preliminary investigations showed that the suspects were allegedly involved in more than illegal mining, describing them as armed enforcers who used violence and intimidation to drive legitimate miners away from their sites.
He explained that the syndicate would allegedly invade mining locations, threaten licensed operators with locally made weapons and force them to abandon their businesses.
Once the legitimate miners had been chased away, the suspects and their associates allegedly took control of the sites and proceeded to illegally extract and remove valuable solid minerals.
Chuna described the operation as a major breakthrough in the command’s campaign against illegal mining and other activities threatening the state’s solid mineral resources.
He warned illegal miners and armed groups operating in the forests of Cross River State that the NSCDC would intensify its operations against them.
The commandant said the Corps would no longer tolerate the use of firearms to intimidate legitimate investors or unlawfully take over mining sites.
He assured licensed miners that the command would provide the necessary security to enable them to operate without fear and contribute to the state’s economic development.
Chuna added that investigations were ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate who fled the area during the operation.
He said the arrested suspects and the recovered weapons were in the custody of the command and that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations were concluded.
They are expected to face charges bordering on illegal mining, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, intimidation and related offences.
The commandant commended residents who provided information that led to the arrests, urging members of the public to continue reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.
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He said timely information from residents remained crucial to protecting communities and safeguarding the state’s natural resources.
