Gov’t shuts down illegal mining sites

The Nasarawa State Government has shut down illegal mining sites in Nasarawa, the headquarters of Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

It also gave a seven-day ultimatum to mining companies involved in the illegal excavation of lithium in some parts of Nasarawa State to pay the backlog of monies owed the government.

This was the crux of discussions held during a meeting of the high-powered committee on the dispute surrounding the exploration of the lithium site, which was presided by the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, in Lafia.

Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the meeting was sequel to the previous one held where all parties agreed on the payment of the amount of minerals illegally excavated from the lithium site in Nasarawa Local Government Area either in cash or material.

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According to the deputy governor, Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration is an investor friendly government but would not condone illegal activities.

While acknowledging that only one out of the three lithium mining firms has committed itself to the payment of compensations to the state, the deputy governor reiterated that the government will no longer tolerate their inadequacies and failure to follow due process in obtaining a mining licence.