The minister of mines and steel development, Olamilekan Adegbite, has made a striking revelation concerning the Chinese Nationals who were arrested for their illegal invasion and mining of gold in sun state. According to the minister, it revealed that the federal government is under pressure as calls for the release of the Chinese illegal miners is been mounted on them by some cabals.
The arrest of the 27 illegal miners was made in Osun state, as the Osun state government reported the Chinese who were caught in the act of extracting and mining the state’s gold. According to report from the Osun sate government, 17 persons out of the 27 that were arrested were all Chinese Nationals.
The minister addressing the issue with Journalists in Abuja, However, repeatedly stated that the government would not tolerate any form of illegal mining while adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for the surge in illegal gold mining activities in the country. Speaking with journalists, he pointed out in his own words that;
“Nigerians in high positions of authority [are behind them]. The Chinese are the main culprits in the illegal mining activities and we are going to meet with the Chinese embassy. We are going to present all the facts to them so that it will not appear as if we are targeting them unfairly,” he said.
“These godfathers were operating with impunity before, but they are now scared because the arrested illegal miners are naming names but they (godfathers) are denying. The law is on our side and we must prosecute these people to serve as a deterrent.”
