Abuja residents want Nigerian Govt to penalise illegal miners

Some residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the Federal Government to enforce relevant laws and penalise anyone engaging in illegal mining activities in the country.

The residents made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during separate interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Dele Ossai, a Cinematographer in Mpape, called for an inventory of rock sites, adding that enforcement of the relevant laws would check illicit activities of miners in the country.

He commended the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, for suspending further quarry and mining activities in the affected areas of Mpape, Gwarimpa and Garki districts where earth vibrations occurred recently.

Ossai also urged compensation for communities affected by such illegal mining and quarry activities.

For his part, Mr Kenneth Asukwo, a Restaurateur in Mpape, urged government to put in place proactive measures to avert man-made tremors in the country.

“I worry that the recent tremor in the FCT may have been prompted by the activities of illegal miners who blast rocks indiscriminately.’’

He also said that the ban on mining activities had no significant effect on small and medium businesses in the area, pointing out that quarry workers rarely patronised such businesses.