Mining marshals arrest three suspects with 2,000 tonnes of illegally-mined lithium

The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to be considerate on licence fee review.

National President of the association, Dele Ayanleke, spoke, yesterday, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Ayanleke, who said that the association was aware that inflation and the exchange rate had increased the cost of running the government, said despite these factors, it is important for the government to be fair when determining the new rates, adding that the association remains patriotic and recognises the need for periodic reviews.

IN another development, mining marshals, who are members of a specialised unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), have arrested three suspects with 2,000 illegally-mined lithium in Gaube, Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The operation, carried out by the mining marshals led by Assistant Commandant, John Onoja Attah, was made possible through meticulous intelligence gathering and surveillance which led to their arrest and sealing of the illegal mining site.

Attah said: “The suspects, who voluntarily confessed to the offence of illegal mining, admitted to have been operating on the site for over a year. And at the time of their arrest, over 2,000 tonnes of lithium was on the ground, highlighting the scale of the illegal operation.”