Taraba governor alleges officials are enabling illegal mining

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has alleged that some government and security officials are facilitating illegal mining in the state and vowed to dismantle the network behind the activity. Speaking at a meeting with artisanal and small-scale miners in Jalingo on Saturday, Kefas said the problem extended beyond miners operating without licences. He said some people within government and security structures had become part of the system sustaining unlawful mining.

The governor said his administration would strengthen regulation and create a framework under which genuine miners could work legally. Registered miners would operate in designated areas, while mineral buyers would be encouraged to purchase from regulated locations to improve traceability and oversight. Kefas directed the miners’ association to provide a detailed list of equipment needed by its members, including estimated costs.

The government would explore financing support for equipment to be used at approved mining sites, he said. He also ordered the compilation of data covering miners, communities, villages, locations and operations. The proposed framework is intended to help security agencies distinguish legitimate artisanal miners from criminal operators.

Kefas said the state would also promote safer mining and processing techniques, particularly as an alternative to the use of mercury in gold processing. Emmanuel George, chairman of the state’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners Association, asked the governor to reconsider restrictions on monazite mining. He claimed the restrictions had pushed more than 300,000 association members into illegal operations and that large quantities of monazite were still leaving the state through informal channels.

Those figures were presented by George and were not independently verified in the source material. George said regulated mining would allow the government to monitor production, generate revenue and create jobs. He asked for operational vehicles and motorcycles, while Elizabeth Elijah, chairperson of Women in Mining, called for women to be included in the reforms and related government interventions.