Court ruling on Kebbi mining rights misrepresented – Libata

A resident of Libata/Kabirba, Malam Hamza Muhammed Libata, has accused Adamu Tah, Managing Director of El-Tahdam Exploration Limited, of misrepresenting a recent Federal High Court ruling on mining rights in Kebbi State.

Contrary to claims made by Tah, the court did not affirm El-Tahdam’s mining rights, Malam Hamza clarified. Instead, Justice E. Gakko struck out the case—Suit No. FHC/KB/CS/39/2024—on procedural grounds, ruling that the plaintiff, Three Crowns Mines Ltd, failed to exhaust administrative remedies as required by the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, 2007 and the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Regulations, 2011.

“The judgment did not validate El-Tahdam’s licenses, as falsely reported in a national daily,” Hamza stated.

He condemned the alleged distortion of the ruling, warning that such misrepresentations undermine judicial integrity.

“This misrepresentation must not be tolerated. The judiciary is the last hope of the common man, and its decisions must be respected and accurately reported,” he declared.

The lawsuit, filed against El-Tahdam, the Mining Cadastre Office, and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, challenged the legality of El-Tahdam’s exploration license (No. 45689 EL) and mining lease (No. 62680 ML) due to alleged procedural violations. However, the court did not determine the validity of these licenses, as reported by some media outlets.

Hamza called on the public to disregard Tah’s claims and urged authorities to hold El-Tahdam accountable for allegedly misleading the public.

He further warned that twisting judicial pronouncements for personal or corporate gain could amount to contempt of court.