PHOTOS: Kano community decries activities of sand miners

By Uzair Adam

The residents of Chediyar Ingawa/Mogarawa a community in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, have bitterly decried the devastating impact of ongoing sand mining in their area.

They are outraged that the sand mining not only disrupts their daily activities by covering the sky with dust and spoiling everything kept outdoors but also affects their farmlands.

According to the residents, the mining activity poses a threat to their well-being as they continue to inhale dusty air ever since the constructors began the mining in the area.

SolaceBase had reported that the sand mining in the community is allegedly being conducted by the federal government for the Kano to Maradi railway construction project.

We Opt for Nighttime Activities – Locals

Our reporter, who visited the mining site over the weekend, reliably gathered that the sand mining operators extract over 500 truckloads of sand from the community daily..

One of the locals, Malam Adamu Muhammad, said, “The sand mining in our community is devastating. We always inhale dusty air, and we can’t even wash our clothes unless it’s at night when the sand excavators have stopped working.”

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Malam Muhammad added that they feel hopeless because they can’t do anything about it, “We saw our district head and other stakeholders at the site. We are sure they have been contacting the authorities as we have no option but to be patient.”

Another resident, Nasir Hassan, said, “We woke up to find sand miners extracting sand from our community, and we don’t even know where they came from.”

He stated, “We saw them clearing roads for their trucks. We are not happy at all. We face many challenges and we cannot stop them. We hope the government will intervene.”

Our farmlands at risk

Malam Muhammad added that their farmlands are at risk, saying, “We don’t have much farmland, and now this work is taking even more of it.

He added that, in addition to the aforementioned challenges, the small route they use for their cattle is now unusable due to the ongoing work.

Another resident, Malam Sama’ila Abubakar, decried, “Their work has affected our farmlands. We complained to our district head and the relevant authorities, but all in vain.”

Read Also:Illegal sand miners destroying farms in Kano -Farmers cry out

“Initially, they took down our names, promising compensation. However, later they said there was no need to compensate us as we could return and clear our farmlands once they are done with their work.”

“We can’t do anything about it and pray for God to intervene,” Malam Abubakar bitterly lamented.

We Can`t Fold Our Hands and Allow Harm Befall You – Kano Govt reacts

Kano State Government has vowed that it would not fold its hands and allow harm to befall the residents of Chediyar Ingawa/Mogarawa community.

The Commissioner of Land and Physical Planning, Abduljabbar Muhammad Umar, stated this at a news conference over the weekend.

Umar emphasized that the Kano state government would not stand by and allow illegal mining activities to endanger citizens of the community.

He reiterated that the Kano State Government will not tolerate illegal mining activities that pose risks to its citizens.

He was quoted as saying, “Consequently, all sand and mineral mining activities have been banned until explicitly approved by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.”