Kano govt reads riot act to Illegal sand miners amid safety concern

By Uzair Adam

Kano State Government has restated its ban on companies embarking on illegal mining of sand and minerals henceforth it will no longer be business as usual.

The State Commissioner for Lands, Abduljabbar Muhammad Umar, read the riot act at a news conference on Saturday.

Umar who expressed dismay over the companies involved in the mining of sand and minerals in Chediyar Ingawa and Mogarawa community in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state have continued to disobey the state government’s directive with the use of some security agents.

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He emphasized that the state government will not allow illegal mining activities to endanger citizens of the community.

The commissioner noted that there are provisions under the law that should be followed to ensure the safety of all by ensuring that the mining activities does not lead to soil erosion and environmental pollution.

‘’You see, some of the legal provisions that must be met to ensure safety, include: “Ensuring that mining activities do not cause soil erosion or environmental pollution, preventing any form of insecurity in the affected community; and safeguarding the health and general well-being of the host community,’’ Umar noted.

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He noted that despite a court order to halt the mining, the contractors have continued their illegal activities, allegedly due to the influence of powerful individuals.

Umar acknowledged that while federal law empowers the federal government to issue mining licenses, it also mandates that the state government be informed in writing, while additional permission from the local government chairman and consent from local residents are required before mining can commence.

He reiterated that the state government will not tolerate illegal mining activities that pose risks to its citizens.

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He added that “Consequently, all sand and mineral mining activities have been banned until explicitly approved by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.”

It was gathered that the sand mining in the community is allegedly being conducted by the federal government for the Kano to Maradi railway construction project, whereby atleast more than 500 truck loads of sand are excavated daily.