By Our Correspondent <\/p>\n
An estimated number of 600 illegal mining sites have been shut down nationwide, and more than 500 suspects arrested and being prosecuted including foreign nationals by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.<\/p>\n
The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,
\nProf. Ahmed Abubakar Audi made this disclosure during a courtesy visit to Ebonyi state governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru at Government House, Abakaliki.<\/p>\n
Audi acknowledged the pressing security challenges in the state, reiterating the NSCDC\u2019s mandate to protect critical national assets and infrastructure, regulate private security, and ensure the safety of mining zones.<\/p>\n
However, he noted the high risks faced by NSCDC operatives, citing the recent killing of eight officers in Edo State during a rescue operation involving foreign nationals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are operating in an asymmetric security environment including terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. <\/p>\n
“We can only overcome these threats through coordination, cooperation, and collaboration,\u201d Prof. Audi emphasized.<\/p>\n
The Commandant General’s visit to Ebonyi is part of a national operational tour aimed at assessing state-level challenges and infrastructure gaps facing the Corps.<\/p>\n
Reacting, Ebonyi state Governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru called for the immediate deployment of at least 400 personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to combat rampant illegal mining and address critical security shortfalls across the state.<\/p>\n
Nwifuru described the security manpower currently available in Ebonyi as “grossly inadequate” and disproportionately lower than what is obtainable in other states.<\/p>\n
\u201cEbonyi State Command doesn\u2019t have manpower up to what a single local government has elsewhere. What is our sin?\u201d the governor asked pointedly, expressing concern over the state\u2019s vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Governor Nwifuru decried the proliferation of illegal mining operations, warning that valuable resources such as gold are being extracted under the guise of lead and zinc mining, with minimal regulatory oversight.<\/p>\n
He noted that in the absence of adequate NSCDC presence, military personnel have been forced to undertake duties outside their primary mandate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe army is doing NSCDC\u2019s job because you don\u2019t have the men.<\/p>\n
“Some people are mining lead and zinc, but they\u2019re actually extracting gold. The country is losing a lot,” he said.<\/p>\n
The governor also submitted a list of 194 potential recruits from Ebonyi State, requesting federal consideration for their absorption into the Corps. <\/p>\n
He emphasized that this would not only improve security but also reduce youth unemployment and enhance accountability in the extractive sector.<\/p>\n
He noted that under current federal law, mining licenses and regulatory approvals are exclusively controlled by the federal government. <\/p>\n
Governor Nwifuru highlighted this limitation, arguing that states are unable to enforce mining regulations without federal support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t license miners. We don\u2019t sign consent agreements. The federal government holds that power. So when you don\u2019t give us manpower, what do we do?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n
He further pledged logistical support, including the provision of operational vehicles, but insisted that personnel deployment must be prioritized.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you give us 400 officers, the 10 Hilux vehicles will come immediately as you requested,\u201d Nwifuru assured.<\/p>\n
During the visit, Governor Nwifuru also inaugurated a newly constructed chapel at the NSCDC State Command Headquarters. <\/p>\n
Also, the Commandant, Ebonyi state Command, Commandant Francis Nnadi reaffirmed the NSCDC\u2019s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Ebonyi State Government to tackle emerging and persistent security challenges, particularly in vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Our Correspondent An estimated number of 600 illegal mining sites have been shut down nationwide, and more than 500 suspects arrested and being prosecuted including foreign nationals by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi made this disclosure during a courtesy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,4],"tags":[4970,3918,1143,596,3372,26],"class_list":["post-7861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime","category-politics","tag-assets","tag-emerging","tag-infrastructure","tag-national","tag-persistent","tag-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7862,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7861\/revisions\/7862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}