The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday said the recently produced roadmap for the mining sector would assist in tackling killings and other challenges facing the sector in the country.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said this in an interview with State House correspondents.
He spoke against the background of the Tuesday invasion of Bindin village in Zamfara State by bandits who reportedly killed over 36 gold miners.
More than 40 others were said to have been injured in the afternoon invasion of the mining wells in the village, which is in Maru Local Government Area.
The Zamfara State Government put the death toll at 36, based on the buried bodies.
Fayemi said the roadmap for the sector had already made provision for a surveillance task force that would tackle such security challenges.
He said the task force would comprise of policemen, men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission among others.
Fayemi said, “You may have read for example even though it is not directly linked to the mining operation, what happened in Zamfara yesterday (Tuesday) and the number of people that were killed.
“Miners were killed by bandits that have been operating in that area.
“This is one of the reasons as part of our road map, a surveillance task force has also been established with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, EFCC, Police and the Civil Defence.”
Culled from: Punch Newspaper
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