Category: Community Voices

It was just past midnight when Sam Yakubu’s phone rang, waking him up from a deep sleep. He wasn’t startled, though, as he has grown accustomed to midnight calls from families with medical emergencies.

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The call was not different from the other calls he usually received: a woman in labour was waiting anxiously at the clinic for his arrival.

Yakubu, a volunteer at a World Bank-assisted Clinic in Dokuma Community, in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has been catering to the health needs of the community ever since the clinic was established in 2019.

 While the midnight calls from women in labour had become a normal thing for Yakubu, what happened that fateful night would become an experience he would never forget.

 “When I arrived and checked the woman, I noticed that it was not yet time for her to give birth, so I told her to walk around the clinic. We were at it for three hours when I noticed it was time. I hurriedly put on my hand gloves and bent to gently pull out the baby and that was when I blacked out,” he narrated.

When Yakubu regained consciousness, he was lying on his bed at home with many members of his community wailing outside, thinking that he had given up the ghost.

While some members of the community have attributed the incident to an attack by an ‘evil spirit’, Yakubu thought otherwise.

He suspected he was exhausted from lack of sleep caused by the enormous task of catering to the health needs of over 1000 members of his community.

This harrowing incident of 2022, left Yakubu severely traumatized, and rendered him incapacitated and unable to work for several days as he struggled to get back on his feet.

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“I was scared after that. But I had to put myself together and continue again. For me, failure is not an option. I had to encourage myself and continue,” he said.

 The graduate of Shehu Idris College of Health, Kaduna, stated that the burden of providing healthcare services for his community would have been significantly reduced if the government had adopted the clinic.

The clinic, a Community Social Development Programme (CSDP), was established through a Community-Driven Development (CDD) Approach project, where the community contributed 10 percent  of the project’s total cost.

Essentially, Yakubu believes that government involvement would have alleviated some of the financial and administrative pressures associated with running the clinic, allowing for more effective healthcare delivery to the community.

 Yakubu uses his money to run the clinic, and with the current inflation and hike in prices of drugs, he barely has enough to live on as many of the residents cannot afford the drugs.

The plea for government adoption of the clinic is even more urgent now than ever before, Yakubu explained as he attends to not just his community but also seven other neighbouring communities, some of which fall under Kaduna State.

 “In a single day, I can attend to up to five people or more,” he said.

While the pregnant women receive antenatal care by day time at Kaduna, as the nearest Primary Health Care (PHC) Center in FCT is far from them, Yakubu steps in to provide critical support at the unholy hours of the night when help was very difficult to access, and this was despite the insecurity that held sway in such areas.

The struggle to offer healthcare services to his people has grounded the 27-year-old volunteer as he could not progress in his career or engage in other endeavours.

 “Last year, I got admission to study Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Sokoto, but I couldn’t go because the chief and the people were crying, asking who would take care of their health needs when I leave. So I stayed back,” he  narrated.

 Yakubu is not alone in this struggle. Luka Peter, a volunteer in another World Bank-assisted clinic in Gawu, Kuje Area Council, also faces the same challenge.

According to him, many of the babies he helped deliver were at night.

“When labour starts, sometimes, I had to go to their houses because the pregnant women could not trek to the clinic,” he said.

The graduate of the College of Health Science and Technology, Lafia, Nasarawa State, worries that his people would die from the absence of healthcare services if he eventually leaves, and pleads that the government employs staff, including himself, for the clinic.

 “If I leave, my people will suffer and they will be abandoned as no government will remember that there is a community called Gawu when it comes to immunization and distribution of drugs that are given for free.

“Pregnant women will suffer more because no one will offer them antenatal care,” the 28-year-old volunteer said.

The Project

 The clinic is part of the  FCT Community and Social Development Project, a World Bank-assisted project.

The FCT Community and Social Development Project started in 2008, and additional funding was provided in 2014; First Additional Financing and 2016; Second Additional Financing.

According to Shuaibu Adamu, General Manager of FCT/CSDP, during an interview in 2020, the project’s success “lies in its community-driven approach, which fosters a sense of ownership among community members.”

The project selected communities to be attended to based on recommendations from the FCT area councils and the communities’ commitment to the project.

 Shuaibu had noted that the FCT/CSDP had funded over 160 micro-projects, with the World Bank funding an additional 40 supplementary projects.

The projects include rural electrification, water provision, and building of healthcare centres.

 Communities’ Struggles

Though the project is tailored towards empowering community members to take ownership of projects, the communities where these clinics are situated, however,  fear that without government presence, the clinics will at a point fail to exist.

The community members told THE WHISTLER that ever since the clinic was established, they have been calling on the government to take ownership of the health institutions to no avail.

Documents provided by Dokuma Community showed that the community contributed N988,094 from the N9,880,941 that was utilized in constructing the clinic and drilling a borehole in it.

David Yakubu, one of the Dokuma community members instrumental in the initiation of the project, explained how he had written severally to the Bwari area council administration to send their staff to the clinic or recruit volunteers from the community who were ready to work, but got no response from them.

 David, who also provided THE WHISTLER with copies of the letters he had written, also stated that the community had escalated the matter and had written to the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board, yet the issues remained unattended.

 “We have been crying and nobody is giving us a listening ear. When CSDP finished the work, they called the area council and handed over the project to them. They refused to come and take charge. The facility is saving lives. If the area council had added its voices to our cry, I am sure that the FCT Primary Health Care Board would have listened and taken ownership of the clinic,” he said.

 He noted that the need for a clinic in the area became urgent due to the activities of kidnappers, adding that the people cannot travel long distances at night to seek medical services.

 “There was a time when the FCT was agog with kidnapping, particularly in the Bwari axis. We recorded over 37 kidnap cases where over 200 people were kidnapped. Though none of them is presently in captivity, over 27 people were killed. The government has not paid attention to the people in this community. When you move around, you hardly feel government presence here,” David lamented.

Luka Elesha, from the Gawu Community, also shared the same feeling as David, stating that his community is tired of writing letters to the authorities to come to their aid.

Elesha, who however did not produce copies of the letters, stated that though the Kuje Area Council administration had assigned medical personnel to the clinic some years back, the personnel eventually stopped work in 2023, and all efforts made to get a replacement for him had proved abortive, making it extremely difficult for the lone health volunteer in the community to shoulder the burden of administering healthcare to the community.

Communities like Dokuma and Gawu are among many of the communities that are located far from the urban centers. It took THE WHISTLER over an hour from Bwari Town, on a motorcycle, through an untarred bad and dusty road, to get to Dokuma Community. While the journey to Gawu from Kuje required a shorter bike ride, this reporter had to wade through a stream at some point, before getting to the community. The remote locations of the visited villages underscore the urgent need for functional clinics to serve the local population.

 Area Council’s Nonchalant Attitude

THE WHISTLER reached out to the Bwari Area Supervisory Councillor for Health, Sabwaya Morris Atnadu, to ascertain why the council seemed to be ignoring the community’s pleas for help, despite the projects being situated based on the council’s recommendations.

Atnadu, after several phone calls, scheduled a meeting with THE WHISTLER and the chairman of the Area Council, Hon. John Gabaya. However, on getting to the area council, the councillor told this reporter that he was unable to reach the Chairman, claiming that the Chairman’s phones were switched off.

“I can’t say anything to you without the chairman’s approval and now his phone is off. I can’t reach him,” he said.

 A Visit To FCT Primary Health Care Center Board

Armed with a letter addressed to the FCT Primary HealthCare Center Board and written by the Dokuma Community in 2020, THE WHISTLER  visited the Board and was directed to the Head of the Planning Department of the board, Dr. Sebastian Esomonu.

He immediately requested for the letter written by the community, and then went on to trace its location and status. From the mail department, Esomonu found out that it was sent to the Department of Monitoring.

He immediately put a phone call to someone from the department named Joy. Joy, after enquiring about the name of the community, the ward, and the area council, exclaimed that Kawu ward in the council had been bedevilled by insecurity, adding that the Board’s services were halted due to insecurity.

They however blamed the community for not doing a follow-up after delivering the letters.

“We usually get such requests but it requires follow-ups. Since this letter came here, we have had like three executive chairmen. The department heads have also been changed,” Esomonu said.

He asked the communities to write reminder letters while attaching the ones they had written before, and to also come for follow-ups.

Asked what benefit the clinics could get if the government got involved, Esomonu said, “The community can have access to “Seed drugs” which are essential medicines that are provided free of charge or at a subsidized rate to healthcare facilities, especially in rural or underserved areas. There are also intervention drugs from NGOs.”

This story was sponsored by the Civic Media Lab

Sulaiman, 12, under a scorching sun, carries a small bucket of sand on his head, balancing it carefully as he navigates the rough ground. 

His face stained with filth and sweat, the young miner endures long hours under the hot sands and mud at Jirr mining site about 25 kilometres from Bauchi, the State capital.

His hands blistered from shovelling heavy loads of sand to extract monoxide with his aspirations buried beneath the weight of his family’s economic struggles. 

Like many others, Sulaiman’s parents, unable to make ends meet, withdrew him from Nadabo Primary School, seeing mining in their community as a lifeline in their fight against poverty.

The children miss out on education and face the risks of accidents, health hazards, and exploitation at the sites. 

The Rise of School-Child Miners

For many families in such communities, the immediate income outweighs the intangible benefits of education.

Here, in Jirr, children as young as 10 work in sand pits, shovelling and carrying loads under the scorching sun and soggy pits in some instances.

Like Sulaiman, Abdulrahman Musa, a 13-year-old boy, shared his daily routine with this reporter. “I used to go to school,” he said, his hands calloused from sand mining days. 

“But my father said we need money to eat, so I had to stop. Now I work here almost every day,” he added.

For communities like Jirr and Wandi in Dass LG of Bauchi State, the cycle of poverty deepens with many school children lost to the mines, jeopardising education which is the very foundation of their better future.

In GDSS Wandi, the local Upper Basic school, over half of the students did not show up in a dimly lit classroom when this reporter visited in November 2024. 

“Our classrooms are nearly empty. Parents prioritise mining because it solves some of their immediate needs, but it’s at the expense of their children’s future,” Malam Husaini, the administrative officer at the school lamented. 

According to the officer, the ripple effects of sand mining in schools extend beyond individual families, noting that the dwindling number of students has brought some schools, particularly in Dass to the brink of closure. 

According to school officials in Wandi, the school has seen attendance drop by more than 50% over the past year. 

Some classes are empty, as families pull their children out to contribute to household incomes.

Malam Husaini identified sand mining as a leading factor contributing to student absenteeism in schools in the mining communities. 

“Very few students are attending classes now, and this trend is alarming,” Husaini said, urging the government and parents to take action to address the issue. 

He emphasized that poverty, the root cause of the problem, must be tackled through comprehensive measures by governments at all levels.

Husaini’s position is supported by the World Bank report that about 87 million Nigerians lived below the poverty line in 2024. 

A recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwC) said 13 million more Nigerians could be pushed below the poverty line due to some government policies in 2025. 

UNICEF report also confirmed that children from the poorest families benefit least from national education funding.

Children are often the first to bear the brunt of this crisis. Parents, struggling with economic hardship, often see no option but to involve their children in mining activities. 

Husaini further called for initiatives to alleviate the hardships faced by families in the region, stressing that unless the economic struggles of communities are mitigated, efforts to keep children in school will remain futile. 

Out-of-School Children in Bauchi

Analysis by StatiSence on a survey conducted by Nigeria’s Multidimensional Poverty Index, a private data hub in Nigeria, showed that Bauchi had about 1.37 million out-of-school children in 2022.

In 2023, Governor Bala Mohammed in his half-hour presentation, claimed that the number of out-of-school children had dropped to about 700,000 thousand.

He said, “We have so far leveraged the number of out-of-school children from 2.3 million in 2018 when I took office to merely 700,000.”

However, the governor did not clarify on how they arrived at the figure, even though the new figure is still alarming.

The state government officials in 2024 also claimed that the state recorded a drastic reduction in the number of out-of-school children, bringing the total figure down to 521,000, though they did not provide any evidence on the ground that shows the changes.

Women, Girls in the Mines

The crisis has also drawn women into mining, compounding their already heavy burdens. 

They combine mining labour with household responsibilities, often working long hours in hazardous conditions.

Fatima Umar, a widow in her early 40s, works alongside her teenage daughters in the mines. 

“We know it’s dangerous, but what choice do we have? If we don’t work, we don’t eat. We need the money to eat, so my son and three daughters go to the mines instead of school.” 

This trend is widespread across several communities in the state, with economic hardship forcing families to prioritize short-term survival over long-term opportunities. 

Like their boy counterparts, the girls exchange their quest for education for mining in their efforts to survive and support their families.

Halima Usman, a 35-year-old mother of four in Toro LG, described her ordeal after the death of her husband in a society where most of her prospective helpers were reeling in poverty themselves. “My husband passed on two years ago,” she said. 

“We have nothing. My son brings home N5,000 from the mine every week. It’s not much, but it keeps us alive.”

In Bayara, a community on the outskirts of Bauchi, stands a sand-processing machine. Women and children push to the point with their faces etched with fatigue after long hours spent labouring at mining pits. 

Some children, as young as 10, can be seen burdened by the weight of labour far beyond their years. 

Women, often carrying babies strapped to their backs, work tirelessly with bags of sand in packages.

An investigation revealed that besides Bauchi, Toro, and Dass local governments, illegal mining is taking place in Alkaleri, Ningi, and some parts of Tafawa Balewa. 

More prevalent in 20 different sites in Toro where tin ore, gold, columbite, and monoxide, among other minerals, are mined.

However, the residents of the communities expressed concern over the influx of illegal miners from Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and foreigners to the mining communities, hence, gradually becoming a hideout for criminals.

Bauchi Ban Illegal Mining 

In a bid to curb illegal mining and its adverse effects, the Bauchi State Government in July 2024, banned any unauthorised mining of the resources in the state. 

However, the ban’s enforcement has been weak, and illegal mining flourished, with rural areas becoming hotspots for the illicit trade, and with devastating impacts on children’s education in addition to other economic, social and environmental ills. 

The ban was aimed at preserving the state’s mineral resources and protecting communities from environmental degradation and for security reasons. 

“The ban was a good idea, but it has no impact here,” said Malam Yusuf, a father of nine in the Rimin-Zayam community in Toro. 

“The truth is there is no alternative provided. The people are hungry, how can you stop them without providing them with what to eat?”

With the absence of law enforcement, mining activities moved further. 

Here, a joint at Goltukurwa, a community along Bauchi-Tafawa Balewa Road serves as the hub where the mined sand is transported for processing to extract monoxide or to the local markets.

Children, like adults, are not spared in this labour as they work for hours to earn a living and support families. The lure of quick financial gains drew them away from schools and into mining pits.

Security Challenges Linked to Mining

One of the most pressing consequences of illegal mining is its contribution to the growing insecurity. 

Mining sites, often located in remote and poorly governed areas, serve as hubs for armed groups, including bandits and insurgents. 

These groups exploit the lucrative nature of mining to fund their activities, purchasing weapons and sustaining operations.

WikkiTimes reports that criminals and bandits that terrorise Ningi LGA of Bauchi State do visit some mining sites in Burra district of the State. 

The Zamfara gold prey is a more explicit example, where competition over control of mining sites has fueled violent conflicts, leading to loss of lives, mass displacement, and destruction of livelihoods.

In some cases, corrupt officials and security personnel have been complicit, either turning a blind eye or actively benefiting from the illegal trade.

Recently, Senator Adams Oshimole alleged that some retired generals in the country are among the top beneficiaries of the illegal mining business.

Environmental and Economic Effects

The unchecked mining activities have also left a trail of environmental harm. Vast stretches of farmland have been rendered unusable, water sources contaminated, and landscapes scarred by deep pits and erosion.

“Our lands are gone,” said Alhaji Buba, a farmer. “The soil is no longer good for cultivation, and the rivers are dirty. Even our livestock can’t drink the water.”

The environmental consequences further fuel the poverty cycle, pushing more families into mining as agriculture becomes less viable.

Economically, the informal nature of illegal mining deprives governments of substantial revenue. 

While these activities generate profits for individuals and criminal networks, they contribute nothing to state coffers.

Jibrin Saleh, a retired head of school services, and one of the stakeholders in Dass, said the sand mining activity has drawn many children out of classrooms. 

To mitigate its impact, he explained, efforts are underway at the community level to implement a schedule aimed at balancing education and mining activities.

“We are trying to create a system where students in upper basic schools can engage in mining in the morning and attend school in the afternoon. Similarly, pupils in primary schools would mine in the afternoon after returning from their morning classes,” Saleh said.

Experts’ Perspectives

Experts believe that addressing the illegal mining crisis requires a multi-pronged approach. 

Dr. Rabi’u Barau, a sociologist at Bauchi State University, argues that education and livelihood programs must go hand-in-hand with enforcement measures.

“You cannot just ban mining without providing alternatives. These families need sustainable ways to earn a living. Combining mining with education can work,” he added.

He added that community engagement is also critical. “Traditional leaders, often influential in rural settings, can play a key role in advocating for education and discouraging child labour. 

According to Dr Rabiu, the government’s efforts to address illegal mining are also undermined by a deep-seated mistrust between the authorities and the people. 

Agency Speaks

In response to children abandoning classes, the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said it has intensified efforts to combat the menace through community engagement and collaboration with traditional leaders. 

Abdullahi Mohammed, the SUBEB spokesman outlined ongoing strategies to address the out-of-school children crisis.

“We are actively working to address it. We have initiated a campaign in collaboration with community stakeholders to tackle this pressing issue in particular and the general issue of out-of-school children which is a nationwide challenge.”

He further explained that the agency is leveraging traditional leadership to amplify its efforts. 

“At the end of last year (2024), our Chairman met with the Emirs, who pledged their support and assured us they would cascade the campaign down to their subordinates. This partnership is vital in ensuring the message reaches every corner of the state,” the spokesman added.

Ministry Clarifies 

Sale Umar, the information officer for the Bauchi State Ministry of Natural Resources, clarified that the government’s intention was not to impose an outright ban on mining activities. 

Instead, he explained, the focus is on formalizing and regulating the operations of local artisanal miners to ensure better oversight and organization.

“The government aims to make mining activities official and structured. Local artisans need to be identified and supported to transform their work into formal businesses,” the officer told WikkiTimes. 

He revealed that the state had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese firm to aid in the formalization process. This initiative, he said, is designed to streamline operations, ensure security, and enable the government to monitor activities effectively.

He added that the ministry is also encouraging artisan miners to form associations, which would allow them access to mentorship from technical officers and support from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

The associations, according to the officer, would link miners to entrepreneurship programmes that align with federal initiatives. 

He, however, emphasized that mining activities fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, which complicates the state’s ability to enforce policies independently. 

While the state government said it is working toward formalization, the continued involvement of school-aged children in mining remains a pressing concern, emphasizing the need to prioritize education and protect minors from exploitation.

This report is produced with support from Civic Media Lab (CML)

Niger Govt Promised Security But Illegal Mining Continues Unchecked After Miners Attacked M.I Wushishi Residents

By Umoh Umoh

On the morning of  September 2, 2024, there was an attack on residents of the over 500 housing units at the M.I Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger state, leading to the reported death of one person and destruction of properties.. Emerging reports about the attack varied, with some media houses tagging the attackers as bandits while others described them as suspected illegal miners or hoodlums. Subsequently, the Nigeria Police Force, Minna State Command released a statement describing the attack as  the outcome of resistance by residents of the estate to illegal miners, noting that normalcy and calm had been restored. Investigations by AfriCast to establish the facts of the case have now revealed that the community remains at risk and illegal mining continues unchecked. 

Miners Rush for Gold Puts M.I Wushishi Residents At Risk 

Mining of minerals in Nigeria accounts for only 0.3% of its gross domestic product but the industry has gained significant media attention in recent years owing to an increase in illegal mining activities across the country and their connection to national security concerns. The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals,  Jonathan Gbefwi, had in July 2024, disclosed that illegal mining activities in Nigeria are costing the country about $9bn annually, with only 3 per cent royalty paid into government coffers by the few miners licensed to operate legally across the country. For many communities where these mining activities take place, this has led to destruction of livelihood and properties, with a rise in armed conflict, banditry, crime, widespread violence and kidnapping.

M I Wushishi  is located in a part of Niger state said to be richly blessed with solid mineral deposits, especially gold, making it attractive to illegal mining businesses, and the neighbourhood has since become highly volatile and vulnerable to violent crimes. Residents who spoke to AfriCast confirmed that indeed, the recent attack on the estate was perpetuated by illegal miners who were aggrieved because the community had reported them to the police. The chief security officer of the estate, Mr Yahaya Abdulkabir said he was badly hit during the attack and has now been forced to relocate his family. “They singled out my house in particular for the attack because they know I am one person that usually comes out to pursue them from the estate. As I am speaking with you, my family is not safe,”  he said. 

 “They all know my house since it is just at the bank of this small river they mine from. As the man in charge of security in this estate, I am not allowing them rest and anytime I go out to work, I can’t concentrate because my wife and children are home, since they still find their way into the estate to mine,” Yahaya added.

Like several other residents, he has since relocated his family to another location but those who remain mourn the incurred expenses from the attack and nurse fears that another attack is imminent.

Dr Sani Ibrahim, a resident, explained that the attack was timed to coincide with when most people would have gone to work. “These boys came into this estate after we reported them to the police because of the damage they are causing to our homes. They decided to come after all the able men had gone out to their normal businesses,” he said. Meanwhile a resident who pleaded anonymity said the community was concerned about subsequent attacks. “I know of many people who have moved out of this estate after the attack because they feel these boys might likely come back for another attack. This is how banditry started. Most of these boys are from Zamfara and Sokoto states. The government has to come to our aid,” they noted. 

Illegal Exploration Breeds Insecurity, Explain Stakeholders 

Nigeria’s mineral sector is regulated by the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 (“the Act”). The Act repealed the Minerals and Mining Act, No. 34 of 1999 and vests control and ownership of all properties and minerals in, under or upon any land in Nigeria in the Federal Government. It further prohibits the exploration or exploitation of minerals without the grant of requisite permit.  Earlier this year, the Nigerian Mining and Geoscience Society (NMGS), had expressed security concerns, while accusing the government of not being interested in stopping illegal mining . NMGS President, Prof. Shedrack Olatunji who spoke at the society’s  255th Council Meeting of Nigerian Mining and Geoscience Society (NMGS) said the lack of qualified, well-funded, and well regulated personnel saddled with the responsibility of monitoring mining activities was evident that government was paying lip service to the idea of stopping illegal mining. He further advocated for the involvement of the private sector like NMGS to carry out oversight functions in collaboration with the Inspectorate unit in the mines office.

Security consultant  agrees while noting that attacks on communities  by illegal miners are often carried out with the backing of authorities including the police, politicians and public officials , further noting that this would explain why there had been no arrest since the attack on Wushishi. 

Miracle Ebube, a security expert in Abuja with Sapphire Security Consultants asserts that no crime of such magnitude can go on unabated without the backing of top figures in the society. He alleged that security personnel and top politicians are often accomplices in such practices. Ebube drew attention to the insecurity in the south east and also in the northern region, stating that most of those perpetrating these crimes are members of the society, well known by all. 

He noted that when “bigger unknown forces are the ones backing a crime, even the security agents have little or no power to make arrests, reasons it is difficult for the security agents to step in. I go to Niger state regularly and I see and know what is happening.” 

Residents of the community agree with him. They alleged that these illegal miners have the backing of registered recognised miners who use them to mine without ascertaining how the gold is obtained. Niger state government has granted mining rights to some registered companies to carry out legal mining activities within the state but according to Bello Musa, a resident in the estate, “these companies do not follow the standard procedures of mining. They are not even on the mining site. All they do is that there are some makeshift shanties with write-ups like ‘washer,’ opposite Wushishi estate to the other side of the road, that is where representatives of these companies stay. Once those illegal miners get those stones, they take them to locations like that and are paid off, while the stones are taken to the company for processing. How the gold is gotten, if lives were lost or properties destroyed during the process of digging is not their business.

Shortly after the incident, the honourable chairman of Chanchaga local government council, Rt. Hon. Aminu Yakubu Ladan paid a courtesy visit to condole with victims of the attack, promising that security will be provided for the estate.

Police Intervenes Briefly  But Illegal Activities Go Unchecked

Residents of the community  confirmed to AfriCast that the security, which was provided by the Nigerian Police, were only stationed at the gate for two weeks, after which they withdrew. Even with the police at the gate, the illegal miners were reported to use some alternative tracks to their mining site.  The estate’s CSO, Yahaya also  pointed fingers at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDELA  for being unresponsive despite efforts from the residents  to inform them of the proliferation of hard drugs into the community by the illegal miners. 

According to Yahaya Illiya, “the estate’s association had petitioned the NDLEA on the activities of the illegal miners, stating that hard drugs are being sold in the camp of these miners, which is just a stone throw from the estate’s fence, but we are yet to get any response in form of raiding the camp or a written reply,” and this makes these guys hardened.”

Commenting on the unresponsiveness of NDLEA, Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics in Abuja, ASN Adebayor Adebisi said that “the agency does not go around drumming its accomplishment.” Adebisi drew attention to the fact that in May 2023, NDLEA intercepted explosives that were intended for bandit camps in Niger state.

He stated that “since this has to do with classified information, I cannot speak much about what the agency is doing or intending to do to curb illegal drug abuse in Niger state”, but assured that residents of the state should be patient, as the war on illegal substance abuse is not a day’s job.

When contacted on the developments since the attack and the promised security. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun said that some security men were assigned to patrol the axis regularly, and normalcy has been restored to the area but the police are continuing their investigation to identify and apprehend those involved.

In allegations to concerns that the investigation appears to be dragging and no arrested individual has been prosecuted, the police said “arrests are made regularly either by us or the estate’s security but most times, members of the estate don’t show up to press charges. As a civil institution that is bound by rules of engagement, an individual cannot stay beyond 24 hours in custody without trial.”

The police further said that fear of reprisal or isolated personal attack might be one factor residents do not show up, so that their faces will not be marked

This report is produced with support from Civic Media Lab (CML).

By Umoh Umoh