Taraba Taskforce impounds over 20,000 pieces of Blue sapphire from illegal miners
By Yusuf Salihu Sansani, Jalingo
The Taraba State Taskforce Committee on illegal mining in Taraba State has impounded over 20,000 pieces of blue sapphire worth hundreds of millions of naira from illegal miners in the state.
Chairman of the Committee Brigadier-General Jeremiah Faransa (rtd), who disclosed this in an interactive session with newsmen in Jalingo lamented that Taraba has lost lots of resources as a result of illegal activities of miners.
General Fransa explained that the level of destruction and degradation caused by illegal miners in the state is unquantifiable whereby all the lands in the affected communities are no more arable and habitable where dip pits were created and the people in such areas are no more in Peace.
The Chairman said the illegal minning sides at Arufu, Dodon Yasu and others have become breeding grounds for criminals and bandits as well as drugs raketteering and consumption where children of school age are hired for cheap labour escalating the level of out of school syndrome not only in Taraba State but in the entire Northern Nigeria.
He maintained that Taraba State is highly blessed as there is no solid mineral on Earth that cannot be found in the State, all the Local Governments are blessed with one solid Mineral or the other from raw Gold to Uranium which is recently discovered in Yorro Local Government.
Fransa said over one hundred illegal minners including foreigners were arrested and prosecuted while some of them were imprisoned in an efforts of the Taskforce Committee to correct the ills.
He said the State Government is not trying to prevent the activities of minners or stop investors from coming to the State but due process must be followed minners must abide by all conditions of environnental protection by refilling dugged pits, providing social amenities such as Schools, Health facilities and potable water to the host Communities, be dully registered and be paying
all necessary taxes due to the Govermment as at when due.
General Fransa debunked the claim by Adamawa State that the Dogon Yasu mining site belonged to it saying that the site is under the Kuru Jibu Chiefdom in Bali Local Government which is very far from the border with Adamawa State and wondered how it could be claimed by Adamawa State.
He also vehemently faulted all the allegations against the Committee particularly the accusations of wrong doings directly against him as fallacies, blatant and fabricated lies urging those who made the allegations on Internasional media without given him the opportuniy to respond to come out with proof.
Earlier, Speacial Adviser to Taraba State Governor on Media and Digital Technology Emmanuel Bello said the interface with the Media was a record Setting event on the potential of Solid minerals inTaraba State saying that Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas is passionate about solid Minerals and how to effectively harness them which is the purpose of Setting up the Committee.
In a keynote address one of the co-convener of the interactive session the Permanent Secretary Taraba State Bureau for Loacal Govermment and Chieftaincy Affairs Babangida Hassan noted that the Taskforce Committee on Illegal minning which is at the instance of the State Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas is all about due process and doing the right thing in minning in Taraba State.
Hassan said that mining activities has been vandalized in the State and the Governor Constituted the Taskforce Committee to correct the ills for the benefit of the State and prayed for a fruitful delibrations.