The Kogi State Government says it has arrested more than 30 suspected illegal miners found with dangerous weapons as it links mining activities to rising insecurity in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said more than 80 per cent of criminality currently witnessed in Kogi was fuelled by mining activities, particularly in areas where illegal mining was widespread.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Fanwo said some illegal miners carried weapons, including AK-47 rifles, to mining sites, contributing to insecurity.
He clarified that mining was not responsible for all criminal activities in the state but maintained that it played a significant role in the security challenges.
Fanwo said joint security forces had intensified operations against suspected criminals, adding that more than six terrorist camps had been neutralised.
He defended the operations, saying security agencies would not spare anyone involved in criminal activities, regardless of whether they were operating under the guise of mining.
The commissioner also disclosed that more than 500 trained forest guards had been deployed to monitor forest areas and improve surveillance.
He said the recruitment and training of forest guards, approved by President Bola Tinubu, had strengthened efforts to tackle insecurity.
According to him, the state is also working with neighbouring states to prevent criminals from exploiting borders to evade security operations.
Fanwo said the government was improving intelligence gathering by engaging local residents and establishing channels to ensure that information received was put to effective use.
He added that the Kogi State House of Assembly had signed up to the state policing bill, while Governor Usman Ododo supported measures aimed at improving security.
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